Hinamori's Cookies
by Hexerein
Summary: When Byakuya suffers once Hinamori declares revenge, one knows danger lurks. But only with the puppet strings of lunacy, lust, and lies can one achieve the true evils wrought by manipulation - and not even Renji could know how well.
1. Chocolate

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

**Summary:**When Byakuya suffers once Hinamori declares revenge, one knows danger lurks. But only with the puppet strings of lunacy, lust, and lies can one achieve the true evils wrought by manipulation—and not even Renji could know how well.

Some OOC, I'm sure.

**Chapter one: Chocolate

* * *

**

Looms of papers stood stacked in feet high piles on Byakuya's desk when Renji entered the room. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed it was backlogged. But the untouched, and therefore organized piles of equal amount set aside for him alerted him to the fact that this was not the case. A fresh load of paperwork had been dumped onto the Sixth Division for the fourth time that week.

"G' mornin', taichou," said Renji as he took a bow. He was unable to suppress the yawn that followed.

Byakuya only briefly looked up from his work. "You're late again," he stated, tone uncharacteristically bitter. The vice-captain rolled his eyes, sensing a stirring up of the tension that had infiltrated the division since the beginning of the week. Their "silent arguments" with each other were becoming more frequent, complete with annoyed glares here, burning scowls there—at least on Renji's part, and nothing short of subtle eye rolls, shrugs, and sighs.

He turned his attention to the small white box in his hands with his name neatly handwritten on it. _Maybe I should just tell the truth this time. It's not all that good of an excuse, though. But hell, if I give him anymore stories, he'll start trying to snap my neck with his reiatsu—_

"Renji," Byakuya announced coolly. "I do not have all day to sit here and listen to the ludicrous story you are no doubt creating to excuse yourself. Tell me why you were late and then proceed with your work." Renji frowned. One time was all he wanted to have Byakuya follow _his_ command.

And if things went well, he could even hope for a short wait.

"Unohana-taichou and Hinamori-fukutaichou have been baking and selling cookies in the morning," he responded. "I went to buy some before they ran out." Byakuya was silent for a bit before his gaze returned to the papers on his desk.

"Is that all?"

Renji crossed his arms and murmured, "They've stopped selling for today, in case you got your hopes up." Byakuya glared at him, but Renji was already making his way towards his desk, back turned and snickering. Deciding that it was too early for any form of bickering, he returned his attention to his paperwork.

Minutes later, a loud crunch sounded, disturbing the aching silence of the room. Soon after, the aroma of melted chocolate wafted beneath Byakuya's nose. He blinked swiftly and took short gulps, stealing glances at the stack of all chocolate cookies sitting calmly in the box on Renji's desk. He gaped as Renji took yet another bite, and if it wasn't for the brush beginning to slip from his grasp, he would not have regained focus. Now slightly perturbed, he straightened up, tightened his grip, and stared back down to his paperwork, only to notice it covered with various wet spots.

The captain nearly choked in surprise. Grabbing for the tissues that sat atop his desk, he hastily dried his mouth, and then tried for the paper, which proved futile. Glancing at Renji, who failed to take any notice of Byakuya's mishap, he was more than reassured. But concentrating on the work became increasingly difficult. Tightening his fists, reading and rereading the documents, or when that failed, forcing his mind to wander over issues completely unrelated to the sixth division or the cookies—all methods failed in diverting his attention. And he was running out of options.

_Crr—nncchh_

Byakuya stiffened. The aroma took his nose hostage as he forced down gulps and fought to ignore his hunger. Perhaps this was how Kenpachi felt before a battle: heart racing, fingers twitching, his entire body itching with anticipation. Yet being compared to that brash fool annoyed him to no end, and he shook the comparison from his mind. Another sporadic crunch occurred, causing Byakuya to lick his lips, his eyes briefly and unconsciously fluttering.

It wasn't until Renji decided to take his eyes off of the monotony of the paper's script that Byakuya was able to control himself, writing again and using all of his might to force away a blush. He raised an eyebrow, sensing that something with his captain was off, and noting the shift in reiatsu from the moment he glanced up. Urgently needing fresh air and aware that Renji's inquisitive gaze hadn't yet disappeared, Byakuya stood abruptly and excused himself from the office.

Byakuya made his way to a nearby lounge room to gather his thoughts. No one else was around, so he busied himself with the task of making tea, releasing a breath of tension he hadn't realized he was holding. He poured hot water into a mug, jumping as his jumbled thoughts jumbled his movements, hot water splattering onto his hand. He closed his eyes and sighed. _I could just barely contain myself…What exactly is going on?_

For a split second, an image came to mind of the younger Yoruichi triumphantly standing beside him while he held his stomach and leaned against the wall, sickened.

When had this taken place? He racked his mind for similar images, but could not find any, nor a possible context. Frustrated, he sipped the last of his tea and turned back to the door. Taking a confident breath, he strode back into the office, flinching subtly once inhaling. Ignoring Renji's staring, he sat down and began writing.

Maybe he could do this. There would be a break, though it was a long time from now. But all he had to do was focus on the paperwork and ignore anything cookie-related. He had control over himself. He was sane. He could do this.

His stomach rumbled and Byakuya panicked.

He couldn't do this.

Luckily for him, Renji seemed not to have noticed, and the captain quickly regained his composure, despite his shivering at the crunch of yet another cookie. Byakuya decided to ignore the fact that it would be another three hours before lunch break. Another crunch, and he bit his lip, shifting uncomfortably. No, he decided. There was no way possible that he would even be able to survive_.

* * *

_

"Hinamori-san, I don't believe you should do that," Unohana said, cleaning up the fourth division's kitchen. She grabbed a paper towel and wiped the counter clean. "I'm sure there's an understandable reason for his rather rude behavior toward you recently."

"Really?" the young girl asked, leaning against a wall with her arms folded. "And do you have a better idea? He hates me, and he made it clear."

Unohana stopped her cleaning to give her a chastising glare. "You and I both know very well that Hitsugaya Toushirou does not hate you. He cares about you very much."

"And that explains why he ignored my birthday, alright. It's not like he forgot. We've know each other for decades! I bet it's because he doesn't care about me anymore." She pouted, closely resembling a six year old on the verge of a temper tantrum. "It's always 'Hinamori, I'm busy, so let me work in peace' or 'Hinamori, you idiot! Do you know how long it took me to file those? And now you've knocked them all over the place! _Go the hell away!_" And that's only if he is forced to talk to me at all!"

Unohana said nothing. Bountiful were the rumors spreading around the Soul Society about Hitsugaya's sudden flash of rage towards his childhood friend. Now that some of those comments had left Hinamori's own lips, she was a bit hesitant as to what to say to comfort her. Hopefully, the boy wasn't taking things too far. She glanced away from Hinamori, finding herself caring about the rumors a bit more than necessary. As long as she or her beloved was not involved, she could care less.

"Hitsugaya-kun hates me," Hinamori continued. "That's why he's constantly shooed me away for the past two weeks, that's why he runs in the other direction every time he sees me, that's why he didn't recognize my birthday yesterday, and that's why I want my revenge." She stood and began to pack her things.

"Hinamori-san, you're being quite irrational, don't you think? There must be a reason to justify this behavior. Why don't you talk to him?" Hinamori stuck up her nose with a slight 'hmph'.

"I would," she began, crossing her arms, "but he wouldn't want to listen. Besides, I'm sick of being known as the innocent 'Bed Wetter Momo'." She then reached for a plastic bag from the shelf, along with scissors. "Now would you be so kind, Unohana-taichou, as to lend me some of your precious hair?"

Unohana recoiled. "I won't. I refuse to help you with revenge. If you need me to bake more cookies for you, though, I'll be happy to." Hinamori sighed.

"If you say so, Unohana-taichou," she mimicked playfully, waving the scissors in the air as she spoke. She bowed, taking her leave from the fourth division headquarters to find a willing participant. _It doesn't matter. There are plenty others that will contribute, _she thought with a wry smirk. _I swear I _will_ make him pay!

* * *

_

Two and a half hours had passed, but to Byakuya, it was a lifetime.

Was fresh air too much to ask for?

Byakuya was not sure how much longer he could last if he didn't leave the office. He'd been fidgeting in his seat, gulping in anticipation, and sweating persistently since he'd walked back into the room. It was a miracle that Renji hadn't noticed, or at least pretended as if he hadn't. He just needed a taste, just one tiny sample of that chocolate to calm his jittery nerves. But how? There were no more to be sold for the day. And if he questioned his ability to go another half hour without those god-forsaken cookies, then he'd be nearly suicidal if he had to wait another twenty four hours.

Byakuya anxiously glanced at the clock. Twenty four minutes until his senses were granted their long overdue freedom.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, but he immediately cursed it. An act like that was savage, and he wasn't born a noble to have such thoughts. But it was the only scheme he had, and desperation urged him on more and more by the second. He would probably regret it later, but it was a chance he had to take save any more…dangerous outcomes occurred. Coincidentally, Renji had excused himself to use the bathroom. Once he was sure he was out of earshot, Byakuya virtually dashed over to his desk, eying the white box longingly. Unable to stop from licking his lips, he opened the box—only to be met with a nasty surprise.

They were gone. Renji had eaten every last cookie in the box. Even the _crumbs_ had disappeared. And now the hunger was becoming extreme, and his stomach responded with a loud growl. All he wanted was a small taste, just to satisfy his craving. Oh, how badly he wanted it…

The door opened and Byakuya froze. Renji stared curiously. "Hm? What are you doing, taichou? Did you want—"

"Do not get the wrong idea," he interrupted. "I was merely disposing of your trash. Garbage lying around is unsightly." He closed the box, threw it away, and left for lunch break early.

Renji stared at him as he left, snickering softly. _Don't think I'll let you get away that easily, taichou.

* * *

_

The nippy mid-March breeze calmed him. He had actually made it three hours without any chocolate and everyone's limbs were still intact. Despite Renji's comment, Byakuya decided to head for the fourth division, in hopes that maybe there were some left behind cookies that had yet to be sold. It couldn't hurt to try, and at this point, he was ready for anything. He just prayed his red headed vice captain hadn't guessed his true motive for opening that box, or he would never hear the end of it. Sensing familiar reiatsu, he stopped walking. Seconds later, Hinamori appeared before him, quickly bowing.

"Good afternoon, Kuchiki-taichou," she greeted. "I apologize for the disturbance, but I was requested by Kurotsuchi-taichou to retrieve a hair sample from each of the captains. Is it possible that I snip a bit of your hair for the purpose of his experiment?" Hinamori kept her face as straight as possible, knowing her story sounded ridiculous and that the sixth division captain would question anything he thought to be foul play.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "What, exactly, is he planning on doing with my hair in this experiment?" He would never admit it aloud, but he treasured his hair dearly. He hated wearing that kenseikan; it left rather hideous imprints that would not come out unless washed and thoroughly combed. He wasn't about to let just anyone take and manipulate his hair, and truthfully, few people were ever fond of the outcomes of Mayuri's experiments.

Hinamori shrugged lightly. "He didn't give me the details."

"And why are you taking orders from him if he is not your captain?" Hinamori paused for a moment. She had been expecting further questioning, especially from him, but that part of her story had yet to be formed.

"W-Well…it's more like a favor, really I…promised to pay him back for something he did for me awhile back, and this is…how I…am." She looked away when she spoke, too afraid that any other movements would throw her plan off. Byakuya, however, wasn't going to take any chances. He did not want to admit later on that he inadvertently played a role in blowing up half of the Seireitei.

"I refuse." He stated simply, beginning to leave. Hinamori stumbled after him.

"Please, Kuchiki-taichou? Just a little bit?" she pleaded, but Byakuya ignored her. "I'll give you my special chocolate chip cookies if you do!" she said, pulling a small plastic bag out of her hakama. Byakuya stopped short when he heard this. His mouth began to savor again, and before he knew it, he had turned around and let a `Very well' escape his lips.

Hinamori smiled as she cut a small bit off the ends. "Thank you, Kuchiki-taichou," she said, placing the hair in a plastic bag before bowing and leaving. Though he didn't trust her intentions in the slightest, Byakuya suddenly lost interest. Instead, he eagerly stared at the bag, saliva trailing from a corner of his mouth. He glanced around quickly, then flash stepped back up to the balcony and leaned on the wall that was out of view from the main entrance, ripping the bag open.

Never had he tasted anything so delicious in his life.

His body shivered when the chocolate met his tongue, its sweet flavor making his eyes flutter. After swallowing the first cookie, Byakuya licked his lips and pulled out another cookie…and another, and another, until soon he ripped the bag to shreds just to get to the crumbs. He gulped to prevent himself from drooling, only to realize he had been already. Seconds later, he blissfully leaned his head back on the wall. He could have never imagined the waves of pleasure shooting through his nerves with every bite. Why hadn't he tasted chocolate in all these years? He reached into the bag for another one and frowned when he realized that he'd eaten them all. He wanted more—no, he needed more…they were _so_ _good_. But he forced himself to ignore his yearning and suffice for what he had, as it was pure chance he'd gotten cookies in the first place.

There was another split second flashback, this time of an annoyed younger Byakuya standing with his arms folded as Yoruichi danced around him in a circle, taunting him and eating something that he couldn't quite make out. The younger Kuchiki heir was staring intently at it, biting his lip in restraint and frustration. He sighed, confused as to why he was having flashbacks of old memories that he couldn't recall of his own free will. But before Byakuya could ponder the matter much longer, his eyes flitted apprehensively. He turned, scanning the area quickly enough to sizzle the air. But unlike he had detected, there was no one around.

_Was that Renji's reiatsu just now?_ Byakuya panicked. If he had seen his little display of primitive behavior…_No, I'm imagining things. If Renji had been here, I would have sensed it long ago. _Reassuring himself and calming down, he wiped the crumbs off of his face and headed for his favorite spicy food restaurant, hoping to take his mind off of chocolate. Unfortunately for Byakuya, Renji _had _been there. But his chocolate high prevented him from sensing Renji until he finished, at which point Renji fled.

Meanwhile, about two miles away, Renji had stopped his flash step and caught his breath, collapsing into an outrageous fit of laughter. Others stared at him as he rolled around on the ground in hysterical mania. He wiped a few tears from his eyes, gathering himself after a few minutes. It didn't take long to realize that if the rest of the Seireitei found out about this, they would be laughing just as hard. This was exactly what he needed to mortify the always-held-in-high-perfection Kuchiki Byakuya, his chance to gain the power and respect from him he felt he deserved. Now all he had to get was proof.

* * *

With the exception of Kurotsuchi and Unohana, Hinamori had managed to get a hair clipping from each of the captains, as well as toe nail clippings from the vice-captains. _The perfect accessories_, she thought, _for an evil Hitsugaya-kun's mouth. _Feet away, she spotted him speaking with Matsumoto. Her eyes narrowed, but she remembered what Unohana had said to her. Maybe it was worth a try. "Oi! Shirou-chan!" Hitsugaya and Matsumoto looked up. He shuddered in disgust.

"Go away, Hinamori," he spat, turning his back to her. "Don't you see I'm in the middle of an important conversation?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then leave!" Tears began to well up in her eyes and she gave Matsumoto a pleading glance, wondering why she was standing by and allowing him to treat her like this. Remembering his previous insults, Hinamori quickly looked away and pouted

"Fine then, _Hitsugaya Toushirou_! You'll be lucky if you ever hear from me again!" It was Hitsugaya's turn to be surprised. He tried to call out for her, but she stomped away before he could utter her name.

"I think you went too far this time, taichou," said Matsumoto, casting a worried gaze in the direction Hinamori had disappeared.

He sighed, folding his arms. "That's what I'm worried about. I thought maybe if I mistreated her just enough, the birthday party I'm throwing her would be more of an effective surprise. But now…I think she might do something completely irrational."

"…And you want the best for her," Matsumoto added.

Hitsugaya blinked. "Hold on! That's not what I—"

"Taichou, you're so cute when you're in denial!" Matsumoto suddenly exclaimed.

"I'm what?"

The woman pouted, folding her arms. "Oh, don't get so angry. It's quite obvious that you're in love with her, despite all of your outrageous denials. Besides, everyone knows-"

"I'm what?" he repeated, eyes widening. But before the buxom woman could respond, the captain's attention shifted. There was still the problem of where exactly he was going to have this party, and one of his options was walking on the block nearby. "We'll finish this later, Matsumoto," he ended abruptly, making his way towards the Sixth Division captain.

A half block away, Byakuya thought silently. He wasn't quite sure he was fond of having a party thrown on his estate that hadn't anything to do with him in the slightest, but he allowed the younger captain to elaborate.

"I know it's short notice, but Matsumoto," Hitsugaya shot her an antagonizing glance, in which she mouth an annoyed 'what?', "is extremely unreliable when it comes to doing her work sometimes, and I had so much catching up to do myself that I forgot to find a place for the party."

Normally, Byakuya would have declined, but this case was entirely different. This was HinamoriMomo, that god-send of a shinigami that gave him those irresistible cookies. Sure it was a pretty irrational hope to believe that maybe she would do something for him when the party came to pass, but if there was a chance he got chocolate, Byakuya could care less how exactly he got it.

"Very well," he said finally.

"R-Really?" Hitsugaya asked, surprised he'd agreed so easily. Byakuya nodded. Maybe she would make him a special batch of cookies, oozing with chocolate and with enough sugar to cause even Yachiru to faint. He could nearly taste it, but he quickly refocused on the conversation before his thoughts got the best of him.

"I assume three days is enough time to organize the party?" Byakuya nodded once more. "I'm sure this is the last thing she is expecting…or anyone else for that matter."

"No one else knows?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Matsumoto and Retsu only. I couldn't risk the surprise to be ruined. I just want Hinamori to have a good time…" His voice was low and juvenile when he said this, and if the elder captain hadn't known better, he would have sworn he saw a small blush appear on the younger's face. "Besides," he continued, straightening up, "I couldn't say anything if I didn't have a location. Well, thank you." He waited shortly for a response, and when he received none, he guessed it was safe to leave. He and Matsumoto walked away, temporarily forgetting about their prior argument.

The image of freshly baked cookies replayed in his mind over and over again, invoking a quick lick of his lips.

* * *

Hinamori barged into her division's main office, slamming doors hard enough to produce fault lines within themselves. _That damn Hitsugaya…I swear he'll pay! I will _not_ let him make me look like a blubbering idiot!_ She snatched a note pad off her desk and began writing.

_Additional Ingredients for Hitsugaya Toushirou-style Chocolate Chip Cookies _

_-shredded bits of hair from nearly all captains in the Seireitei_

_-minced toenail clippings from all vice captains_

_-ground glass bits_

_-broken crayon bits_

_-five three month old tomatoes_

_-some rotten eggs_

_-a concoction from Kurotsuchi's lab _

_-mucus from Ukitake-taichou's cold_

_-the refresher ink for Renji's tattoos_

Hinamori sighed and stopped writing. She couldn't think of anything else to add to make him suffer. That would have to be enough. She smiled to herself.

For _now_, that is.

* * *

**End of chapter one**

A/N: Thank you for reading.

~Twi


	2. The Vices in Weakness

Hinamori's Cookies 

By: Twilight's Blade

**Chapter two: The Vices in Weakness**

* * *

Renji groaned as he shuffled through his closet. He had been dismissed for the day, but he needed to be on guard. _Where's that camera?-_The digital camera he'd 'borrowed' from Ichigo without him knowing. But he figured he would need it if there was another chocolate out break scene. There would be so many things he could do with just one good picture. He smirked mischievously.

Oh, the sadistic pleasures of blackmail…

* * *

Byakuya wandered wistfully into his office. He'd spent his day contemplating those chocolate chip cookies but found himself hungry again, despite the massive lunch he forced himself to eat to drown out such thoughts. He inwardly sighed, sliding the door open and preparing to pack up his finished paperwork when an obnoxious, high-pitched voice disrupted his thoughts.

"Byakushi!" Yachiru exclaimed, jumping up and down on his desk and waving with a cheery grin. "Come play with me!"

He stared blankly at her. "Kusajishi-fukutaichou, this is neither the time nor place for games. If you have no other business here, please go back to your division."

Yachiru frowned, patting her foot on the desk. "Aww, you're no fun, Bya-kun. Ken-chan kicked me out 'cause he said I was bein' 'nnoyin'. Can you believe it?" Instead of listening, he reached into a desk draw and pulled out a large bag of confetti candy.

"I will play with you later," he began, although he hadn't the slightest intention to, "if you take this and leave." He'd have to thank Renji for that idea; keeping candy available to shut her up was genius. Much to his surprise, however, she knocked it from his hands.

"I don't eat that icky stuff 'nymore," she frowned, leaping off of his desk and picking up a heart shaped box from the floor. She placed a small brown square in her mouth and licked her lips. "Ken-chan gave me a new type of candy! It's called kawa…kura…ku-ma-mel," she hesitantly pronounced as she chewed. Byakuya stole wary glances between the open box in her hand and the caramel piece in her hand. He gulped slowly, the familiar feeling of appetitive lust creeping onto his tongue.

"C-Caramel…" he managed to utter. The chewy chocolate hypnotized his eyes, silently making him beg for one sweet taste.

"Caramel!" she declared. He attempted to hide the hungry glaze in his eyes, but to no avail. The pronunciation of the word had only briefly interrupted her chief focus on him.

"You want one, Bya-kun?"

He frowned, the usual expression of impassivity recapturing his face. "No. I do no—" But the girl pounced on him before he could finish, wrapping her legs around his midsection and digging her nails into his clothes. Using her free hand, she took the half-eaten piece of chocolate and tried to stuff it into the captain's mouth. He attempted to pull her off without violently flinging her as he longed to, but she clung on even tighter.

"You're gonna eat it!" she demanded, grabbing his jaw haphazardly and forcing it in as he mildly thrashed about. She grinned with satisfaction and jumped off of him when she felt her task complete. Byakuya halted, blinking in surprise and nearly spitting it out. But the part of him that wasn't disgusted caused his eyes to slightly flutter. He swallowed and licked his lips, muscles tensing. Beginning to drool, Byakuya found his heartbeat more resound in his ears than ever before.

He needed _more_.

But when he realized Yachiru had already left, he panicked and nearly sprinted out of the room.

"Over here, Bya-kun!" His head snapped towards the sound of her voice. She stood at the far end of the hallway in front of the exit, waving eagerly. "If you want more, you'll have to catch me first!" With a childish giggle and a wink, she was gone. And the captain, now intoxicated off of his chocolate high, was hell bent on following her. He would get his chocolate—by anymeans necessary.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need this?" Hinamori asked once more for safety measures. The last thing she needed was the eleventh division captain hunting her down because Yachiru wanted back her broken crayon bits.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied. "Nothin' but junk. Question is, why do you want it? It's not like you're colorin' all day." He raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

Hinamori gulped, backing away slightly. "N-No, Zaraki-taichou sir! Thank you! I'll be leaving now!" She bowed politely and dashed out of the eleventh division office, side stepping three sake-induced fights along the way. Once gone, she breathed a sigh of made her way towards her division, concentrating hard on what else to add to the recipe that would leave the white haired captain bed ridden for days. It was that same captain that she bumped into for not paying attention to where she was walking.

He turned upon impact. "Hinamori?" he asked, forgetting his act. Her eyes narrowed.

"Out of my way, Hitsugaya," she spat, shoving him aside and hurrying by. He blinked twice in surprise. It was evident now that she had transformed into a ping pong ball of fury, and wasn't going to stop ricocheting until he collapsed with guilt.

"Taichou!" Matsumoto called, interrupting her captain's thoughts as she hurried down the block to catch up to him. "Okay, all the invitations are out, so now the party is all set!" Hitsugaya paid little attention.

"I think… you may have been right about Hinamori." His voice held a distant melancholy tone that she wasn't fond of.

She boldly placed her hands on her hips. "It's not like I haven't warned you before."

Hitsugaya winced at her chastising tone. "I'm no fool, Matsumoto; I kept your words in mind, but she's much angrier than I anticipated. And given that Unohana-taichou warned me a few moments ago of Hinamori's intentions, I can't say I was expecting this.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"She's going to poison me."

"She is_?_" That definitely didn't sound like the Momo she knew, with her childish giggles and endless simpering. But poison as a means of revenge?

The captain continued. "Apparently, she's planning to put something in the cookies she is making and feed them to me. What she plans to put in, Unohana-taichou refused to tell me. The point is, the surprise is not going to go through if she wants me too sick to breathe."

There was silence after that, both of them lost in thought. Matsumoto, however, was scheming something disastrous, as usual.

"Taichou, follow me." She didn't wait to see if he did, but she could picture the confused expression on his face.

"What for?"

"Don't you have a problem in need of solving?" she responded, barely turning her head.

"_Obviously_."

She nodded knowingly and picked up her pace. "Well then your best bet would be to follow." Behind her, he groaned with irritation. A slew of mishaps and awkward situations played out in his mind in every ruinous possibility he could think of. When she had an idea, hell broke loose. And frankly, he was not looking forward to it.

* * *

Renji fumed. It was always like this. They would hang out, either here or in the living world. And every time Rukia would laugh, he would wince. Because she would be laughing with Ichigo, usually about some stupid inside joke he would never understand. Sometimes, if he was paranoid enough, he'd think they were laughing at him. But Rukia wouldn't do that, would she?

At this point, he wasn't sure anymore. He didn't care, either. He just wanted Ichigo gone. This night Renji wasn't as annoyed as normal, with his mission being more important. He'd prayed—and hoped and wished and begged—that he could get an embarrassing picture of his captain chocolate while he tagged along with the two of them.

Then Ichigo would never be a problem.

"Renji?" He glanced up. "Are you okay? You're acting…distant." He quickly nodded to reassure her, catching a glance from Ichigo, who was smirking. He muttered something under his breath and Rukia smiled at first, then let out a few snorts. Renji twitched, unable to suppress the feeling Ichigo had just insulted him. But before he could reply with an equally impertinent quip, a small foot clocked him in the head and landed into Ichigo's arms, which caught her upon reflex.

She blinked curiously. "Oh! Hi, Ichi!" She hopped out of his arms and waved to the others.

"What are you doin' here, Yachiru?" Renji demanded, irked the girl had made him lose his concentration.

"I'm running!"

"From?"

Yachiru winked and shook her index finger. "Nu-uh! I've got what he wants, and he really, reallywants it! He'll be here any minute now, and I can't stop our game of Chocolate Tag! He'll be here any minute!" Ichigo and Rukia stared at her curiously, then glanced at Renji in hopes of learning who, exactly, "he" was. But clarification was the last thing on his mind. 'Chocolate' was the trigger word he needed to go running after Yachiru in hopes of gaining the snapshot he desired.

* * *

To put it simply, Matsumoto's logic didn't make any sense.

It was far past working hours when the two of them had slipped into Hinamori's house (why she entrusted his vice captain with a spare key he still couldn't understand), read random pages from her diary (which involved yet another key that Hitsugaya was sure she shouldn't have access to), and made their way back to the Tenth Division. The entire trip was graced with a consistent argument. Matsumoto believed he was in love with Hinamori, but he knew she couldn't be any further from the truth. No, it didn't matter that her diary suggested she had certain feelings for him. No, he was not giving her party because he—no! Just no! He simply wasn't in love with Hinamori Momo.

But of course, Matsumoto was stubborn in some ways. To her, the only way his problem could be solved was to love her back. Love her back? But didn't he just yell ten times that he didn't in the first place? Why were women always misclassifying close friendships for love? He was not going to "appeal to her needs" to get her to come to her own party. There were…other ways. Coercion, for example, which he found was working more and more advantageously. He could just simply tell the truth, if he could find some way to get her to listen. Or he could try to work out what was going on now.

Yes, there were always other options. Perhaps not the easiest ways out, but still, options. So, he concluded, as he lied awake on his futon that night, he was not going to do what Matsumoto suggested. Why should he lie to his closest friend? Why lie to himself? Right then. He was not in love with Hinamori Momo, he would never be in love with Hinamori Momo, and he needed his sleep_._

* * *

"Inky, go away! He'll find me if you're here!" Yachiru exclaimed, continuing to run.

"Y-Yachiru, wait up! I just want to know something!"

She stopped short and turned. "What?"

"Are you running from Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Yeah, now go-"

"Why?" Yachiru looked at her sides impatiently.

"I've got chocolate 'n he wants it! Now go away!" She desperately shoved him, though with more force than what both she and Renji anticipated, and he slid into a nearby alley, smack into a wall. Minutes later, he got up more confused than he was before, rubbing his head and staggering. Hearing voices, he limped out of the alley to find Yachiru and his captain conversing.

"Too late, Bya-kun! You couldn't catch me," she popped the last chocolate covered caramel square in her mouth and threw the box to her side, "so no chocolate for you!"

He froze, the sound of his heart pounding wildly in his ears. He was so close, so very close to his goal. All he'd asked for was one more piece. Just one more sweet, delicious piece.

_No chocolate for you…_

_No chocolate for you…_

…_No…chocolate…_

…_None…_

He blinked.

He drooled.

He gulped.

He snapped.

He hadn't chased after her for so long to lose. He was too determined, too addicted. He longed for chocolate, and such an overwhelming feeling it was, nagging and beckoning him forward. It urged him to get closer to Yachiru until he could take it no longer. His vision blurred and he stumbled closer. He couldn't stand it. In an instant, he flash stepped behind her, pinning her to the ground with his weight before she could turn. For a split second, she could see the lustful, eager gaze that froze her movements. But just that quickly, it was gone, subdued by a deep kiss.

Renji blinked in surprise, completely stunned by the spectacle. He raced for the camera behind him and fumbled with the buttons until he could take a perfect shot.

Yachiru's eyes widened to twice their size, and because it was sudden, kicked and squirmed under his weight. Her one and only instinct was to move, but it was barely possible. She raised her hands to his shoulders in an attempt to push him off, but gravity wasn't on her side. Her struggling only made Byakuya deepen the kiss, pushing his tongue farther into her mouth until it wrapped around the partially eaten piece of chocolate he'd craved so desperately for. He rose from her and let himself lay on the ground in bliss, chewing the chocolate contently. His eyes fluttered as the flavor settled.

Finally.

Finally he was able to enjoy that delicious taste, the smell, the sensation… It was perfect…so very perfect…

The thing about perfection is that it's so easily destroyed. Byakuya bolted upright, staring at Yachiru as realization dawned on him. The vice-captain had fainted. Byakuya clamped a hand over his mouth, feeling his stomach lurch, then turned his attention to the discarded box that lay a few feet away from her. He stood up cautiously, still unable to fully comprehend all at once the graveness of what he'd just done.

_I…no! Impossible! I would have never—! Not for that! How could I have…? But...I wouldn't dare..._Millions of incoherent thoughts raced through his mind at once, too quickly for him to begin to panic. He had _kissed_ Yachiru. Kusajishi Yachiru, vice-captain of the eleventh division, and equivalent to the age of an eight year old human.

Oh no.

His eyes widened in fear and he hastily backed away from the girl. There was nojustification for what he had just done. There was no possible way that admitting his addiction had driven him insane, that telling a truth as far-fetched as that would get him out of this…_entanglement _if he was caught. His entire future...everything he knew and had was at stake. The removal of captain rank...the loss of his nobility...

Suddenly, the captain was eerily still. His senses were easing back to him, and the considerable amount of familiar reiatsu emanating from nearby was not very inviting. He didn't dare turn to face it, as his pride had taken a hard enough hit. The last thing he desired was mockery.

But despite the chocolate, it didn't seem he would actually get what he desired.

"Y'know, captain, you've always been a lot of things, but never once have I known you to be a pedophile." Byakuya was silent for a while, still not turning to face his vice-captain. Instead, his gaze remained on Yachiru until he was sure enough that he could respond without stammering. Curses he would never dare to utter charged at every edge of his mind, begging to be released, but the Kuchiki heir maintained his composure.

"And you will never know me to be as such," he finally managed to snap back, glaring deeply into the younger man's eyes, although the tone hinted more at his concern than his confidence.

Renji folded his arms. "Not according to what _I_ saw." Smirking wildly, he placed the camera down and strode forward, holding the small picture for Byakuya to view. The captain struggled to hold back a gasp, which transformed itself into a mild choking in his throat that he could barely quiet.

"If this gets around, the rest of the Seireitei won't believe you, either." Renji was amazed at himself for not breaking into a fit of outrageous laughter at that moment. The control he wished for was finally here, right in the palm of his hands. He could nearly taste his success.

"So what are you suggesting?" Not like he needed to ask. Renji would only play on his fears now that he had the significant upper hand.

If it was possible, the grin on Renji's face grew even wider. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe a few favors here and there."

Byakuya did not like where this was going. "And suppose I refuse?"

"Then you'd lose more than you bargained for. I'm sure disgracing the Kuchiki family isn't high on your to-do list, Kuchiki-_taichou ._" The way Renji stressed the word unnerved him, and it took much self-restraint not to lash out by striking him.

"I do not appreciate being blackmailed, Renji." The flare of the captain's intense reiatsu did not strike him by surprise, however. Renji was used to the captain using it to create silent gestures, and it usually worked, deterring one from the actions they originally sought to do. He'd fallen victim to it on numerous occasions. But notthis time.

"Neither does the next person. But y'know, captain, right now, what I want is more important than how you feel. And you're gonna help me get what I want without a peep about this," he waved the picture mockingly in his face, "or not only will you lose your title as captain, you'll disgrace your family and probably be exiled to the Rukongai, not to mention labeled a pedophile, with no one to clear you're name." Byakuya's eyes narrowed. He knew it—coerced control by his very own vice-captain. There was no telling what Renji would make him do, but he was sure there was a long list of things he'd never attempt. How he loathed the idea.

"I know all about you and your little chocolate addiction," Renji continued, walking closer to Yachiru. Byakuya stared distrustfully, eyes following every move Renji made. "I know exactly why you kissed her. But see, no one else does." He glanced at Byakuya mischievously, grinning at the subtle surprise on his face. Byakuya realized it instantly. Back when he first laid his tongue on those heavenly cookies, those cookies that had gotten him into this mess in the first place-Renji _had_ been there. He'd witnessed every savage move he made as he forced those cookies down his throat.

Byakuya's embarrassment couldn't have increased more if he'd been stripped of all his clothes while doing so. He wasn't sure his pride could handle yet another blow without his sanity breaking to pieces. Renji cut through the silence once more, turning back to Yachiru when he was amused enough by his captain's actions.

"Now, what are you planning on doing with her?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What am _I _planning on doing?"

"When Yachiru wakes up, you know she'll tell this to everyone she sees. Not a good angle for you."

"Nor you," he shot back. Renji smiled.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not the one who's gonna get his reputation screwed, Kuchiki-_hime_." Byakuya blinked. _When did he obtain the nerve to address me as such?_ One more line like that and Byakuya was sure his anger would get the best of him, which was something dangerous because he hadn't let it in quite some time, and Renji's body would be devoid of all its limbs if he did. Renji chuckled, swiftly brushing past him after studying his stunned expression and searching for the loathing he knew was lying somewhere beneath the surface. Defiantly, Byakuya picked up Yachiru bridal style and followed him.

"We're going back to your place to discuss my terms, 'kay, hime-chan?" Byakuya's eye twitched.

When this was all over, he'd make sure Renji would pay with something very close to the value of his life.

* * *

Byakuya gently laid Yachiru down on his bed and sighed. Renji had already stated most of the things he wanted to happen, and he wasn't pleased. But he had no choice but to agree, as the stakes were just too high.

"There's one last thing I want you to do, taichou." The tone of his voice was suddenly more eager and hopeful.

"What is it?" Renji let out a deep breath and smiled blissfully.

"I want Rukia betrothed to me."

* * *

**End of chapter two**

**~Twi**


	3. A Whole New Game

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

**Chapter three: A Whole New Game**

* * *

"I want Rukia betrothed to me." Byakuya's eyes widened. _Betrothed? Into the Kuchiki family? _

"I will not have it," he replied, nearly instantly. "I do not know what you're planning, but I refuse to-"

"I don't think you have a choice, hime-chan," Renji interrupted, waving the picture in his face. "Either I become a Kuchiki, or you lose your title. Besides, becoming nobility isn't important to me. _Rukia is_. You will make her marry me and forbid her from seeing Ichigo ever again. Got it?" Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "You're not scared," Renji continued, inching closer to his face with every word, "that I'll hurt your precious family name, are ya?"

"I will not force her to do something she does not wish to do."

Renji folded his arms. "Is that more important to you than what will happen if this picture gets around?" Silence. Byakuya had no idea how he'd get himself out of this mess, or how to stop Renji from carrying out his plans.

"Renji…"

"Well? Do you agree or not?" It should have been a simple gesture of a nod given his current position, but the noble refused to falter so quickly. He firmly glared, searching Renji's eyes as if searching for the fatal flaw of his scheme. Threatening the boy had significant limits. And allowing Renji to show the picture to everyone virtually paralleled Byakuya begging for the world as he knew it to crumble at his feet. So Byakuya nodded, averting his eyes from Renji's knowing gaze.

"Good! Now, you're making the arrangements to have us married in a week."

"A week?" The astonishment in his voice clearly suggested he wasn't happy with the time allotted.

Renji smirked. "It's after Hinamori's surprise birthday party. You and I both know that there's going to be a lot chocolate present. I'm going to need you to have recovered from your relapse before the wedding, or who knows what will happen." If the redhead hadn't known better, he would have though his captain had rolled his eyes. "Now, I want a huge wedding, and invite everyone. I want cake, and-"

"Bya…kushi…" Yachiru murmured, her eyes fluttering open. She winced and rubbed her head, sitting up slowly. Slightly dazed, she gazed around to discern her surroundings, her eyes widening energetically upon seeing the captain. Suddenly filled with a burst of enthusiasm, she jumped off of the bed into Byakuya's arms, nearly throwing him off balance and hugging him as tightly as she could. "Bya…kun," came her muffled voice as she spoke into his _shihakusho_. He merely blinked, then glanced towards Renji.

"The leech is your problem. Fix it before it gets outta hand," he commanded before stepping out of the room. Wincing, Byakuya turned his attention back towards the girl who was clutching him for dear life.

"Kusajishi-fuku-"

"Just Yachiru!" she interrupted, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"…Yachiru, please let go of me. This is rather uncomfortable." She frowned, but complied.

"What's up?"

"We must discuss what happened earlier." His voice was unsteady and nervous. After all, his entire future rested in Yachiru's silence.

"Oh…that." She cocked her head to the side with a finger to her lips. "Don't worry about it!" He raised an eyebrow. "Listen, I know you're in love with me, and I won't tell anyone, 'kay?"

"Kusa…Yachiru, that isn't-" She hurriedly shushed him.

"It's 'kay! I won't tell 'nybody! See you, Byakushi!" Jumping out of his arms, she gave a final wave and left. Byakuya merely stood there, stunned and morally mortified. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to think he had feelings for her, especially not Yachiru herself. Dear _Kami—_

"My, you've quite the problem _now_," Renji began in sadistic amusement, wandering back into the room. Byakuya glared. _If he makes me do anything with her, I swear—_

"Don't look so worried. I won't make you go that the time calls for it…" He chuckled slightly to himself. "It's getting late, so I gotta go. You just think about my terms, and what'll happen if you don't respond accordingly." He shut the door to Byakuya's room. Sighing, Byakuya placed his head in his hands. There were too many 'what if' questions plaguing his mind. Damn that Renji. He was going to pay dearly.

* * *

Renji waited until he was outside to laugh, ecstatic over his new found power. _She was right! He's so addicted! And with this picture I'll finally—_

He rounded a corner, stopped short, and glared.

"I-Ichigo…" Rukia stammered as he backed her against a wall and pulled her into a kiss. Renji blinked incredulously, his mouth now a gaping hole in his face. Rage shot through his body like an electrical current. Ignoring the need to properly respond, he turned his back to depart.

"Renji?" His reiatsu had flared dangerously. "Renji, I-" She stopped herself. His reiatsu was letting off an ominous, revengeful aura.

"_Save it_," he replied callously, his eyes narrowing into livid slits. He directed his fury engulfed eyes toward Ichigo. Then he stomped off. Once he was out of earshot, Rukia frantically turned to Ichigo, who readily responded to her unsaid question.

"Listen, he's your friend. If you want to say something…" His voice trailed off. She gave him a light smile and waved good-bye before running after him. Ichigo stayed and watched her until her figure faded from view. He shook his head, but no sooner had he rounded a corner to leave had he bumped into Byakuya.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, what are you doing in front of my estate?"

Ichigo blinked, having been momentarily taken off guard. "Err…Rukia and I…" _Damnit, I can't tell him we were out on a date!_ "…Rukia and I were…trying to find Renji because there's this favor he was supposed to do for us and he didn't do it."

"You look for him at this hour?" Ichigo cursed in his head. That would have been perfectly believable had it not been eleven in the evening, but he quickly nodded.

"Yeah, it's, uh, really important." Byakuya studied him carefully, but decided to let it go. The few passing moments of silence were enough to unnerve Ichigo.

"I…have a proposition for you," said Byakuya.

"Me?"

"Yes. Of sorts." Byakuya hesitated. Asking Ichigo for help was like getting Matsumoto to stop drinking. But the orange haired substitute _shinigami_ was the only one he could think of that would have no qualms fighting with Renji, not to mention how short noticed and unexpected these sudden turn of events were. He was desperate, and if he was planning on fighting fire with fire, he'd need more flame.

"Well…what do you want?" The captain only motioned for Ichigo to follow.

"Walk with me. I'll tell you along the way." Ichigo inwardly groaned and did so. It didn't seem as if he had a choice, so he, in nervous guilt, braced himself for a long speech banning him from seeing Rukia again.

* * *

"Renji! Renji! Just stop and listen to me!" Renji was speed walking, lost in angry thoughts. He wouldn't stop. Soon, so very soon, and she would be his whether she liked it or not, and he wouldn't have a care in the world. All he wanted was for things to be how they used to be before Ichigo ever came into the picture. All he wanted was the two of them to be—

"_Renji, will you stop and listen, damnit!_" She was frantic now, and quite loud, with hints of desperate sprinkled in between. He sighed and stopped, ignoring the thoughts that urged him to continue. He stared at her, into her slightly tearing eyes. She was hurt, and despite his current stubbornness, he softened up and tried to comfort her. She pulled away.

"Look, Renji," her eyes averted his gaze, "I know you're kind of jealous of Ichigo, but-"

"Jealous? _Jealous_?" Renji nearly laughed. "I couldn't be any happier!"

Rukia frowned, her impatience steadily increasing. "Don't think I'm not aware of your inability to get over us, or your constant competing for my attention with Ichigo to make him look bad. Why do you think I'm always inviting you over, Renji? I've been watching you, for quite some time, and I'm not going to tolerate your impudence anymore."

Renji was taken aback. "Impudence?" he repeated. "So now _I'm_ the problem?"

She sighed, shaking her head and pacing a bit. "Renji, when will you learn? I'm not in love with you anymore!"

Stunned by her bluntness, he merely stared and gulped. In the back of his mind he'd already known this. Yet reality's truths are always harsher from the horse's mouth. He knew she didn't love him anymore, but he foolishly clung on to hope. Was that so wrong? Perhaps he was still clinging as he let his plans unfold. Annoyed with himself, he turned his back to her. "Yeah, well…" There wasn't much else to say.

Rukia ran her hand through her hair, exasperated. "Renji, look, I'm sorry. It's just…you know better than I do that one sided relationships don't work. We just can't _be _again. I thought I made it clear before, but…Renji—"

"_Shut_-_up_." An emotional storm was on its way, and though he knew she was right, he simply was not ready to accept it. Rukia didn't need to see him now—not like this. "I'm leaving." It took more mental convincing not to run than he thought necessary. Resentment, mostly, was bubbling to the surface as he left. He wouldn't dare turn back; whatever the expression that was on her face was not an image he wanted burned into his retinas.

_Jealousy, she says? Jealousy? And yet, hatred is so much closer. 'I don't love you', she says. 'It can never be', she says. Oh, but she'll see. She'll pay. She _will _be mine._

* * *

It was a cold, early March morning. A strong breeze blew on occasion, its winter chill prickling and cooling whatever it touched. Small, white flurries floated down, covering the ground with a thin sheet of snow. Byakuya stared blankly out of his sixth division office window, waiting for Renji to arrive and reflecting on the advice Ichigo had given him the night before.

_Byakuya nearly rolled his eyes, extremely regretting getting Ichigo to help him with his dilemma. If he'd only thought more and realized that it would entail telling the boy he was addicted to chocolate, not to mention what he'd done to Yachiru. Ichigo took deep breaths and wiped a tear from his eye, slowly recovering from his hysterical fit. A brief catch of his breath was doing nothing to prevent him from collapsing into another laughing fit. He'd been more than thankful the conversation had nothing to do with abandoning his relationship with Rukia. _

_The captain sighed. "I don't believe this matter is as amusing as you make it seem, Kurosaki."_

_Ichigo snickered, doing his best to suppress the smile that was constantly reappearing on his face. "Well, at least you got a taste of what will happen if he tells everyone else. If __I'm_ _laughing this hard, imagine what will happen if the rest of Soul Society finds out? About your addiction, at least." Byakuya was silent. "What you need to do for now is follow his demands to protect yourself." _

"_You are insane," Byakuya responded coolly, "if you believe I will agree to all of his terms without putting up an equal fight."_

_Ichigo had to admit; Renji had gotten his captain into a situation that was nothing short of frustrating. But if he wanted Renji off of his back until he could find an escape route, he'd have to follow along. "You should obey," he continued, "until the very day of the wedding. Meanwhile, I'm sure I can cause a little commotion of my own in the background."_

"_And what exactly do you plan on doing?"_

_Ichigo chuckled. "That, I can't tell you. If things go the way I hope they will, Renji will be…crushed, in a sense, without you having to lift a finger."_

"_You have no idea, do you? And if by chance you do, I am not going to rely on chance to save me."_

"_What choice do you have?"_

_Byakuya sighed once more. Resting his trust—his entire future—in an idea so risky would normally be unthinkable, but this was not the time, he realized, to try and pick and choose his options. _

As if right on cue, Renji slid the door open. The captain did not move.

"You're late."

Renji bowed. "I'm sorry, Kuchiki-taichou, it's just," he picked up the warm mug he'd placed on his desk, "I was extremely thirsty." As he sipped his drink, he made a disgustingly loud slurping noise, causing Byakuya to whip his head around and begin to reprimand him. But stopping him was a familiar aroma, one which almost made him drool with anticipation.

"Mmmm," Renji sneered with sarcastic bliss. "Hot chocolate is the _perfect_ beverage for a day like this, isn't it, taichou?" Byakuya's eyes narrowed, not amused by his vice captain's taunting. Gulping, he swiftly walked by him.

"We have a meeting that we are required attend. This is not the time for your idiocy."

"Look at you, trying to resist," Renji sneered once more, paying no attention to his captain's glare. "We both know you want a sip. Just one harmless, delicious, irresistible little taste. And all you have to do is take it."

Byakuya's heart skipped a beat, staring at the cup a second longer than he should have. Renji smirked, closing in for the kill. "Just think, taichou. With all the money you have, you could buy yourself a never-ending supply of chocolate to fill all of your sugary sweet, 'chocolately' needs. Why don't you just take it if you want it so badly, hmm?" He shoved the mug under his captain's nose. Mixed in with the restraint to snatch the mug, it took every nerve in his body to stop himself from strangling Renji, an emotion that was shown quite visibly on his face, much to the red-head's pleasure. Byakuya averted his eyes.

"I cannot…" he muttered nervously, suppressing the urge to sniff. Renji's grin only grew.

"I didn't expect you to. Of course, you can break that rule anytime you please, though if you do, with the help of a certain picture, you'll break your life to pieces. Your decision."

Byakuya turned his back to him, an eye briefly twitching. "We are late for the meeting, Renji."

"That's what I thought you'd say."

* * *

The captains and vice captains of the Gotei Thirteen had all assembled, with the exception of Captain-Commander Yamamoto. The _shinigami_ conversed with themselves and as they awaited his arrival. However, no sooner had Byakuya entered the door had Yachiru stampeded across the room and hopped into his arms.

"_Byakushi!_" she yelled, causing everyone to turn their attention to the odd pair in the front of the room. Caught off guard, the captain blinked mildly in surprise before laying her on the ground.

"Good morning, Yachiru," he stated calmly. She smiled and jumped onto him again, sitting on his back as if he were her captain. Renji snickered, observing them curiously.

"Awww," he mocked. "Look at the cute little family bond. Rukia's gonna be so jealous." He laughed, and a few snickered quietly. Sighing, he lifted Yachiru off of him and placed her, once more, onto the ground. She blinked sheepishly.

"What do ya think you're doin' with her?" The crowd stopped and turned to the bellowing voice behind them. Zaraki Kenpachi slowly wandered through, making his way towards Byakuya and Yachiru near the entrance of the room. "Ya like playin' with little girls?" Loud snorts and laughs spread randomly throughout the crowd. The Kuchiki slanted his eyes, suppressing his irritated reiatsu. Taunting, threatening, now public shaming? If pride was something ever to be treasured, it was losing its value with every passing minute.

When the meeting began some minutes later, Byakuya found himself paying little attention. Telling Rukia that she would be married to Renji was not an action he was looking forward to, and the elders were not going to be pleased when he brought up the notion. They would never go through with it if Abarai was involved, and yet if they didn't, the subsequent turn of events would have him banished from the clan altogether. Ichigo's shady "plans" weren't providing much solace, either, and he was more afraid the boy would only make affairs worse.

His eyes shifted, and he caught a glimpse of Yachiru winking at him. Forcing back a shudder, his gaze quickly shifted again, and he briefly caught the eye of Unohana Retsu, who looked away, instantly, as if caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. Byakuya sighed quietly to himself and shifted his eyes to the floor.

There was also that _other_ problem stabbing at his conscious. He could only assume Renji wanted to get what he wanted more than he wanted to blackmail. But then there was the little pink ball of sugar, dancing around him with more and more frequency, and Byakuya had little faith in his ability to keep her quiet. After all, any amount of sugar could set her off on a wild tangent about the most random of things, as he knew too well from experience. But couldn't that mean that if he didn't cater to her "play-now" needs that he was a slave to her as well, just to keep her quiet?

A slave? To an _eight year old_?

The noble sighed inwardly, unconsciously focusing on the captain-commander's monotonous voice. Roughly fifteen minutes passed before the meeting was adjourned, snapping him out of his distant thoughts as the crowd dispersed. Hitsugaya approached and greeted him.

"In terms of the party, would it be too much trouble for you to have a cake made especially for Hinamori? I found out she has a liking for chocolate, which is why she's making those cookies I'm sure you've heard of." Byakuya could feel his mouth begin to water.

"I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble…Any specifics?"

"Yes. A three-layered caramel, milk chocolate, and white chocolate cake large enough for three hundred people." The idea alone nearly made the captain faint. Luckily, he was able to stifle it to a hungry gulp, though behind his back, his hands began to sweat. Renji watched curiously from the wall opposite them, suspecting from his captain's movements the content of the conversation.

"Is that all?"

"I believe so."

The idea of the party was unsettling, despite how tempting the to-be cake sounded. As of yesterday, by Renji's first decree, he'd been banned from eating chocolate. _Banned. _The graveness of what that meant hadn't fully sunken in until that moment, as his imagination produced images of pastries in every form of chocolate he could think of. The fists behind his back tightened to force away a shiver. Yet if he was going to lead Renji on, then he had to comply. He quickly cleared his throat, filing the silence.

"Very well. I'll see to it that this celebration goes as planned." Hitsugaya nodded in approval and headed off, leaving Renji and Byakuya alone in the chambers. Once gone, the noble released a deep breath of tension he hadn't realized he was holding, his fingers beginning to fidget with themselves. Renji sauntered over to him, smirking mischievously.

"Is it that hard to resist? I'm sorry, I just can't take any chances. I'm sure you understand. Think of it this way: when I'm your brother-in-law, you can have as much chocolate as you want. Just one week. Until then, watch that mouth of yours." Mentally exhausted, Byakuya rested against the wall. "Come _on_. I have things to do." Renji snapped his fingers impatiently, and the captain followed. The red head had provoked a rather helpless and submissive attitude that he was sure he'd sealed away long ago. Yet for the first time in decades he was unable to save himself. This was weakness. True weakness, indeed.

* * *

"_He what?_" Rukia blurted, nearly choking on her tea. It was afternoon now, and the cold Saturday chill had died down to a cool, occasional breeze. Ichigo had told the story her brother had told him last night—mentioning only that Renji had used blackmail of some sort to control Byakuya. Details were scant.

"But why? _How?_" Ichigo shrugged.

"I don't know," he lied, "But I do know that Renji wants to be married to you without any interference, and he's trying to use your brother to do it." Rukia's eyes widened to the size of golf balls.

"_Is he crazy?"_

Ichigo looked away. "You can't let on to either of them that you know about this yet, but we need to find a counter—and soon."

"So what do you have in mind? Beat Renji at his own game?"

Ichigo leaned back in his seat. "Exactly." Rising from her chair, she sipped her tea one last time and motioned for him to follow.

"Good," she replied, eyes narrowing. "Then let's start from square one, shall we?"

* * *

Byakuya took a deep breath. Standing in front of the Fourth Division, he was teased by the sweet scent of chocolate. Facing away from Renji's gaze, he allowed himself to lick his lips. The chilling memory of chocolate on his tongue eased back to him, and he bit his lip to stop himself from drooling.

"Enjoy the atmosphere," Renji slyly remarked. "Stay. I'll be back." Byakuya glared after him as he went inside, fists clenching. 'Stay'? Now he wasn't only supposed to be submissive, but a dog as well. The captain reigned in his reiatsu and his rage along with it, realizing that his energy would be best invested in preventing himself from stealing a box. If, of course, he could even manage not being driven insane first.

Renji entered, ignoring the glances from the curious Fourth Division members and making his way to the very back of the ground floor. Unohana and Hinamori had appeared to have made a makeshift kitchen, overflowing with variety of cookies. Even he had to admit the snack smelled delicious, and wondered how exactly the Fourth got by with such an aroma filling their senses. A miniscule part of him began to feel a pang of remorse for his captain, but all such thoughts were erased from his mind upon laying eyes on the person in the kitchen. He frowned disapprovingly.

"Hello, Hinamori." She glanced up at the sound of her name, then scrunched her face in disgust, returning to her task of removing finished cookies from the oven.

"Renji."

He sucked his teeth, walking farther into the room and briefly taking a look around. "You know, you can't keep treating me like this forever."

"Sure I can. You should know better than anyone how I can hold a grudge."

The redhead snickered, leaning on the counter she was working on top of. "Oh I do. But I didn't come here to talk about former relations."

"Surprise, surprise."

Renji rolled his eyes. "I want a box of cookies." The sudden change of discussion seemed to pique her interest.

"Really? What a coincidence, because we're having a special today for anyone with the last name 'Abarai' and first name 'Asshole'. Everything costs triple the original price! Offer lasts for as long as certain parties refuse to apologize for past crimes."

With a look of acute irritation, Renji balled his hands into fists and pounded them violently on the counter, knocking to the floor a fresh roll of paper towels. "So I made a mistake. Why the hell can't you just get over it?"

Though Hinamori was a bit rattled, she hid her expression by busying herself with the towels. "Because you've refused to apologize."

The vice captain was wide eyed. "Apologize? _Apologize?_ For ogling someone other than you for a few seconds?"

"That's not what you did and you damn well know it."

Renji sucked his teeth again, pushing pass her to get to the fresh batch of cookies she'd just placed in a box. "Whatever."

"Hey! You have to pay for those!" She attempted to grab his arm, but he backed away from her reach. He sucked his teeth.

"Screw you." He turned his back on her, beginning to make his way toward the exit, but was violently pulled back by his clothing. When he swiveled back around to see what she was up to, an enraged palm met pale skin with enough force to knock Renji off balance, the cookies smashing to the ground.

"Don't you ever," she demanded, voice quivering, "speak to me like that again! Ever!" Renji merely stood there, glaring down a nearby window as he let the sting subside. Silence passed between them for a short time before Hinamori seemed to have gathered her composure. He could only imagine tears streaming down her eyes.

"Get out! Out! Now!" He wasn't mistaken, either, as she was taking short breaths between each demand. Annoyed, he did as he was told, a bit eager to get as far away from the girl as possible.

When the vice-captain stepped outside, the first thing Byakuya noticed was the deep pink flush on the left side of his cheek. Along with it came a flustered and frustrated tinge to his reiatsu that Byakuya wasn't fond of. As the redhead's hands were empty, the noble wondered just what exactly had happened, but was innerved when Renji smirked in his direction.

"I hope you haven't lost too much of your sanity while I was in there, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to retrieve your gift for being a 'Good Boy'. I guess you'll just have to wait for it, then. You're free for the day; I expect you relate to Rukia what lies in her near future." Then he left the noble to his thoughts.

As it was, over the past few days, Byakuya was finding it more difficult to hide his emotions under his usual mask. And he realized all too soon that as his chest heaved in anger, a hand was twitching quite anxiously near Senbonzakura. If Ichigo didn't relieve him of his stress soon, Renji was going to find himself without arms…and perhaps a few reproductive necessities as well.

* * *

_Renji's place is…neat?_

It was the only thought that registered in Ichigo's mind after he and Rukia had sneaked into his meager abode. They weaved through several rooms, Rukia seemingly on a manhunt for something. Ichigo looked on in curiosity, as he expected Renji's apartment to be just a tad bit chaotic. One room was filled with a collection of various body building devices. Another was filled with, strangely enough, books, neatly standing on shelves and centered on the topic of performing _kidou._ But it wasn't until the two reached the back that Rukia seemed to find what she was looking for.

Separated from the main living area was a small room, consisting of a futon, seating, a desk, and a few shelves topped with different trinkets from his travels to the human world. The windows were slightly open, and natural light was the only illuminant for the tan-walled room, casting a dim shadow. In front of the table lay an odd, red and black-striped rug, the fabric's ends strewn into unruly threads. A multicolored swirl design was off center of the rug, and drew in Ichigo's attention immediately upon gazing at it.

"What…_is_ that?" An eye twitched. The miniature carpet was two notches short of frightening his eyes to roll backwards into their respective sockets.

"That," said Rukia, approaching his side, "is Renji's secret rug."

Ichigo did a double take. "His what_?_" Honestly, the rug wasn't so secret with its colors so neon and blatantly horrible_._ Ignoring him, Rukia lifted it up and sidled her hand over the wood flooring underneath until a nail got caught in a crack. With experienced ease, she ground her finger into the crevice, enlarging the gap until her entire index finger could fit inside the newly formed hole. Finally, she lifted up the plank of wood tiling, revealing a dusty, yellowed notebook, smelling faintly of mildew.

"This is—well, was—Renji's journal. Back when we were in the academy, he had anger management issues, so much that I pretty much forced him to vent with words instead of fists. I don't know what he has in here, but I do know there a lot of these little secret compartments scattered around the place so that no one ever finds it. The rug is used as a marker so he remembers where it's placed." She sighed, laying her head back on his futon and nonchalantly flipping through its pages.

"Except you found it...so is its location really secret?"

"It was when we trusted each other." The words left her tongue sharply, and caught the substitute shinigamiby surprise. Understandably, the recent turn of events had put a strain on their friendship with Renji, but only now was Ichigo realizing how it was affecting his dark haired friend.

He sat down beside her and looked on, but the handwriting was too jumbled and messy to understand clearly from his angle. Rukia quickly skimmed each page from the very beginning, but grew tired halfway through.

"It's about nothing but fighting!" she exclaimed in exasperation, throwing the book to the floor and slinking herself a bit. "'Punch him in the face' this, and 'break his neck' that. Ugh! Is there anything useful?" She sighed heavily.

"What did you expect? It's not like we would care enough to write meaningfulentries like you women do. Honestly, Rukia, just because you forced him to do it doesn't mean he did it how you wanted him to." She glared at him, knowing he was right, but couldn't bring herself to reply. Instead, she folded her arms with a low pitch 'hmph'.

He stood up, reaching for the book. "Being a brat won't get us anywhere, either."

"I'm not being a brat!"

"Then annoying?"

She was standing.

"You pretentious little-"

"I'm pretty sure I'm not the little one here."

Silence passed between them. Ichigo counted as the tension increased.

1…

2…

3—

"OW!" The book fell out of his hands as he hopped around on one foot, biting his lip. "What the hell was that for?" Ignoring him, she picked up the book and skimmed the page it had flipped to. As Ichigo hopped around, Rukia stopped skimming, reading every word while her eyes steadily widened.

"No way…Is this…really…" As her words trailed off, Ichigo calmed down, peering over her shoulder to read whatever it was that was capturing her attention. He nearly choked in disbelief as he read the words.

Rukia merely blinked, beginning to worry. Shutting the book with sudden fury, she closed the secret wooden compartment and hastily replaced the rug over it. "Bastard," she whispered in a manner that sent Ichigo a slew of warning signals.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"To find and stop him here and now," she replied without stopping to glance at him. He snatched her arm before she could take one step out of the room.

"You can't! If Renji has a Plan B to try and marry you-"

"But that's just it! Don't you see? He doesn't want me anymore! Our relationship ended long ago; he's merely using me to get to Nii-sama!"

Ichigo was taken aback, unconsciously loosening his grip from her arm. "Renji and…Byakuya?"

Rukia slid from his grasp. "He wrote it himself, Ichigo. Renji is gay. And if he's manipulating Nii-sama…who knows how desperately he wants him? I'm just the tool to help him get inside the family. Otherwise, there would be too much controversy in marrying him directly. I _have_ to stop him."

"But you can't just assume that he isn't still in love with you! You saw how he reacted to us being together!"

"An act. Just something to distract us from his true goal."

"But Rukia-"

"I'm going." She snaked through the rooms in escape before the substitute shinigamihad time to react. He bounded after her, continuing to try and gain her attention. But the raven haired shinigami was not interested in his argument. Once they were outside, she said as much.

Ichigo took a deep breath, growing frustrated with each passing second. "Rukia, please, just _think _for a second! If anything is wrong with your theory when you confront him about it, not only will you reveal that you know what's going on, but you could potentially ruin any plans of saving your brother from the mess he's in! If we're going to use this info, we've got to do it in the best way possible."

Rukia folded her arms. "So you'd rather sit back and devise a plan while my brother could be being raped?"

"I'd rather that then something worse happen to the both of you!" Rukia heaved a sigh, and gazed at the ground. Ichigo massaged his temples. "Rukia, I really don't want anything to happen to either of you, but in order to make sure of that…well, we need to be cautious." She said nothing, so he continued. "I certainly don't want you married to _Renji_, and I know you don't want your brother to be exiled from his clan."

Suddenly, Rukia perked up. "Exiled? Why would he be exiled?

Ichigo panicked. "I've said too much. I need to leave."

"Ichigo!"

"I'll see you later, then." She grabbed for one of his arms, but he flash stepped away before she could step forward. Annoyed, she slumped against the entrance of Renji's house, folding her arms.

_Exiled? Nii-sama, just what did Renji do to you?_ She balled up her hands. _And just why do you want to keep it all a secret?_ She banged her fists onto the wall, frustrated with a sense of helplessness. _I need to find him. I can't allow this to continue._ Taking a deep breath, Rukia headed home, her mind racing with questions.

On a rooftop two houses away, Abarai Renji smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

The last of the boxes were packed. The counter was clean, the dishes were washed. The non-refrigerated ingredients were neatly stacked in a tiny box. And so, it seemed was everyone's care about her feelings—stacked in a tiny box that was only accessed when completely necessary, and perhaps not even then. She wiped the last of her tears, still stunned with how disrespectful Renji had been. Sensing someone else's reiatsu, her head whipped to the front of the room.

Unohana Retsu stood evenly in the doorway, glancing at the girl with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Hinamori-san?" Her voice was surprising sincere, and lifted the vice-captain out of her trance. "What happened to you?"

The girl didn't respond right away, but gazed at the neat stack of ingredients in the corner on the floor. "It's…nothing."

"Are you sure?"

She was motherly, her demeanor gentle, and she was only sure her embrace was just as affectionate. Tears again abound in her eyes, Hinamori gave in, pushing herself into the arms of the captain, who faintly smiled.

"Everyone hates me! They're shunning me and teasing me and laughing at me and, and-" She sniffed hastily, vigorously rubbing her now light pink eyes. "It's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong! I don't want to be hated! I…" The tears she was holding backing began to stream down her face. By now, she had let go of Unohana, who had extended her hand in offering her handkerchief. Hinamori took it, quickly wiping her cheek. "It's simply isn't fair," she continued after gathering herself during a long moment of silence. "They wouldn't be doing this if they knew what it felt like-"

"Revenge is not the proper way to seek solace for your problems." She stared at the floor. A part of her knew that she was right, but such careful planning had been put into achieving the exact opposite that she couldn't bring herself to separate from her goal.

"But don't they deserve their karma? When did they get the right to laugh at my face and spit at my feet? That's in no way forgivable-"

"And neither is one who exacts a vengeance of any kind. You will find yourself in grief, Hinamori, if you don't do otherwise." The girl frowned, her mind desperate in unearthing yet another counter. But she wouldn't get the chance. "I must go now," said Unohana, noting the time. "But please keep in mind that issues such as these will work themselves out in time."

"I suppose."

"Hinamori-san." It was the serene reprimand of her voice that caught her attention. The elder captain's eyes were hypnotically trusting, and she found herself feeling guilty just by staring. But it wasn't going to be enough to make her feel better.

"I understand, Unohana-taichou." She smiled, lightly patting the girl on the head before taking her leave. The vice-captain sighed, packing up the last of the flour in another small box before placing it on the floor. _No revenge, huh?_ She toyed with the top portion of the only box remaining on the counter—the cookies she planned to give to Hitsugaya. _I'm sorry, Unohana-taichou, but it would be impossible for me to stop now. Maybe witnessing the fruits of my revenge will make you change your mind? Seeing is believing, after all._

* * *

On her entire trip back home, only one word from Ichigo's speech replayed in her mind: cautious. Perhaps he was right, and she shouldn't mention anything that might disrupt the scheme of things. But…she couldn't just ignore the ounce of information that he'd leaked, either. It was worrying her immensely. Didn't Ichigo know how much the house of Kuchiki would lose if their last heir was completely banished from the Soul Society?

"Rukia-sama?" A timid maid in her youth greeted Rukia at the door.

"Y-yes?" Her immediate presence was nothing short of startling, and the raven haired shinigami knew instantly that something was wrong.

"Kuchiki Byakuya-sama requests your presence in the reading room." She acknowledged the maid with a faint nod before the latter returned to her chores. With a heavy sigh, she left for the reading room on the other side of the estate.

Unlike many of the rooms, the reading room was rather small, and consequently cozy. The lighting provided was usually from the wall-sized windows, casting light onto a small table, two couches, and shelves and shelves of books of various topics. Even Rukia knew that her brother wasn't accustomed to spending much time in the reading room, yet when she found him, he was gazing out of the windows. How intimately, she couldn't tell, but if the faint droop of his shoulders was any suggestion, she had a good idea what he summoned her here—one of the more private rooms of the estate—to tell her.

"Sit, Rukia." She did so, only at his words realizing that she was still somewhat awed by the sudden meeting. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought she heard a sigh escape his lips. The desire burned within her to ask what Ichigo had possibly meant, but she resisted. At long last, Byakuya turned to face her, but found himself shamefully unable to look her in the eye.

"You…are to be married."

"What?" She attempted to appear as surprised as possible, but it wasn't all that necessary. It was awkward so far, the conversation. Her brother seemed too distant…or even depressed to notice the details of her reactions as much as he usually would have. Yet, perhaps being less predictable in her actions would be more believable. She couldn't entirely discount her brother's apparent lack of attention.

Swallowing her façade of excitement, she tried to recompose herself. "Why so suddenly? I don't understand-"

"The elders believe that I am now too old to produce an heir." Their eyes finally connected at this statement, forcing Rukia to remain calm. Too old? _Too old?_ An idea like that was laughable—utterly absurd. But she could only guess that was the lie he was hiding behind because their authority was not to be questioned. Or so she was told.

"And even if I do," he continued, "they want a successor ensured. You are the next in line to produce a male heir."

Rukia cast her gaze down to the floor in an effort to continue her act. "I…see. May I ask to whom?" Even her eyes noticed that her brother visibly stiffened at the question. Only further proof that he was indeed being controlled.

He had since sat down on the couch across from her, casually sipping the steaming cup of tea on the table between them. "Abarai Renji."

Deep blue eyes slowly widened. "_Renji_?"

"I was not given any reasons why; I was merely ordered to tell you." At that, Rukia had had enough. She refused to let her brother be controlled by a desperate fool. While the excuses were well thought out in getting her to merely except the consequences, she simply wasn't the type of girl to do so.

"You were ordered?" she questioned. "Since when do you let the Kuchiki elders order you around?"

His eyes flashed dangerously, noting her change in demeanor. "I do not. I am simply relating the information to you."

"Ah. I wonder how much of that is really true. Are they controlling you?"

"That is of none of your concern."

"Isn't it? It would be yours if you knew someone was using me for his personal gain, wouldn't it?" Rukia noted that his attention had not diverted since she began questioning him. He wasn't going to admit it so easily, she realized, prideful as he was. She was going to have to force it out of him.

"Because it is my duty to protect you," he countered. "But I am under no obligation to share with you any of my personal misfortunes."

Inwardly, she groaned. Why was he so overprotective? She stood, placing her hands on her hips. "Since when has direct control by someone else become a personal misfortune?" She was practically yelling at him, with every word giving more incline to her voice.

"Know your place, Rukia." He rose from his seat as well, glare fierce. She was unmoved, steadily meeting his gaze.

"My _place_ is to find out what's going on before you get exiled from the Soul Society," she snapped in response. Ichigo wouldn't like her interference, but it was too late to be helped. The air in the room grew increasingly tense, but she continued to remain unfazed. Each of them only watched the other, but Rukia was not about to let him leave her without a definite answer. Realizing her intentions, he sighed, ever so lightly, and removed his glare.

"You must understand," he began, sitting back down. "I…wasn't allowed to tell you."

Rukia was struck with utter surprise at her brother's sudden, more humble behavior. Perhaps this was the result of being forced into things one doesn't wish to do. She took a seat again, as well, altogether worried.

"So Renji is controlling you, isn't he, Nii-sama?"

He gave a noncommittal sound from his throat in response, and her fists tightened in impulsive rage. "Tell me what he's done to you."

"But Rukia-"

"Do you expect me to simply sit back and watch as you're manipulated? I don't believe it's the role of a Kuchiki to remain passive when threatened."

He glanced up from his sip of tea, intrigued yet worried about his sister's resolute choice to stand by his side. If Renji were to find out, his chance of escape could be completely abolished. But there was no denying the truth in her words. "Very well," he finally replied. "But don't do anything brash."

"I won't. I promise."

* * *

It was early evening when Unohana Retsu arrived in the ninth district of the Rukongai, and the winter chill had returned with a vengeance. The cold, however, was not what was annoying her—certain parties were late, and this was not the proper weather in which to stand someone up. Particularly her. With a final shiver, she looked for the nearest building and took shelter inside.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

The fourth division captain had barely stepped inside before a short, middle-aged man greeted her from behind the counter. His smile was eerily kind, and his hair was brown and disheveled. It was then that she realized that she had stepped inside of an old candy shop. Sweets of various types and colors littered the shelves on the walls, and the overhead lights were close to blinding as she gazed at the sugary treats.

"Ma'am?"

She shook herself from daydreaming. "Perhaps. Have you by chance seen a young, red-headed man pass through here?" Before he could answer, said man stepped out from a door she could only assumed led further into the shop.

"Unohana-taichou? You're late."

She sniffed impatiently. "Are you so sure, Abarai-san?" Her sarcasm was ignored as he rolled his eyes. With a nod to the older man behind the counter, he went back through the door. Unohana followed him down a dark stairway into a small, dimly lit bedroom. A few pictures of the older man when he was younger were on the walls, but besides a futon and a miniature table, there was nothing in the room.

"Who is he?"

"An old acquaintance of mine. And a useful one, as I'm sure you've seen."

Continuing to stare at the pictures, she faintly nodded. Perhaps the boy wasn't as completely an idiot as she'd previously thought. "You've called me here because…?"

Renji's expression became grave. "They've taken the bait and are now following a false lead, but…Rukia knows more about the situation than she should."

Dark eyes flashed. "What do you mean?"

He bit his bottom lip. "She knows he can be kicked out altogether."

She growled. "If we don't do something soon, this will certainly get out of hand," she stated bluntly. "We can't have everyone knowing, Abarai."

He sighed, massaging his temples. "I know. I'm thinking, okay?"

Unohana rolled her eyes. "Kuchiki-sama and Kurosaki-san are planning to _stop _you by means unknown. And there's that story of yours. If that gets out farther than we need it to, all my chances of marrying a certain Kuchiki go down the drain. So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop thinking and start talking_, _Abarai._ Now_."

Renji stopped pacing and glared at her defiantly. "Unless you want me to cut you outta the picture all together, shut your goddamned mouth and let me fuckin' think!" he snarled in reply. "Unless of course, you and your two cents have any ideas."

Unohana was silent. Had this been in any other situation, Renji would have instantly been stabbed. She did not like working with him at all. But as far as she was concerned, Renji would help her achieve what she had wanted for a century: Kuchiki Byakuya as captain commander—with her at his side.

"Nothin', huh?" Renji asked, snapping her out of thoughts. "That's what I th-"

"No," she interrupted with sudden confidence. "I've got an idea. It may be slight, but it will help in the long run."

"So sure? Whatcha gonna do? Actually speak for once?"

She smirked. "Something like that."

* * *

The next day, Shihouin Yoruichi found herself bursting into a fit of rambunctious laughing.

"So this," she began, wiping tears from her eyes, "is what the Sixth Division is doing to amuse themselves?" She paused, thinking to herself for a moment. "Ah, Byakuya. He must be beside himself with joy," she finally added, sardonically. "Still, I don't fully understand…Renji, gay? Something about that is just a bit-"

"Weird?" Ichigo interrupted. "My thoughts exactly. But the proof is there."

She nodded, though questioning herself on just how real it really was. "So, then," she began, shifting her thoughts and rising from the floor cushion, "what is it that you want me to do? Use the evidence and blackmail him with it? That's quite boring though, if you ask me."

"I'm just as skeptical about this as you are, but Rukia has been pretty stubborn in believing otherwise. I have a plan of action, but…well, I'd rather not act on it until I'm sure this is fact."

"I see."

"If anything, I'll at least need some help in keeping Byakuya from going insane. And I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss seeing him drooling over chocolate."

Yoruichi chuckled, sighing to herself. "Ah, it's been years…"

"Years?" Ichigo caught, looking at her curiously. "So he's been like this before?"

She shook her head nonchalantly. "It's nothing, really. He probably doesn't remember himself. But I'll help you." She smirked. "I have everything covered."

* * *

**End of chapter three.**

~Twi


	4. When the Going Gets Tough

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

**Chapter four: When the Going Gets Tough…

* * *

**

Why he had ever allowed Hitsugaya to throw a party at his house, he didn't know anymore. What was for sure, it would never, ever happen again.

Especially if it involved lots of chocolate.

Byakuya awoke hungry, the aroma of a fresh baked cake teasing his senses. Licking his lips, he slowly got out of bed. It was the day of Hinamori's surprise birthday party, and he had to be ready early for the set up. Thirty minutes later, he was in the kitchen, Hitsugaya directing maids in where everything should go. He turned his attention towards where the food was being set up. That's when he saw it, in the center of the room.

The cake itself was four and a half feet tall, covered in a thick sheet of a molasses-resembling dark chocolate. There were three layers, the largest made of milk chocolate and crunchy almonds, the edges decorated with blue and white icing flowers. Above it was a mound of white chocolate, sporadically filled with bits of sweet strawberry filling. The caramel filled top layer read 'Happy Birthday, Hinamori Momo!' in white icing, with a 'Forgive me?' in tiny blue letters underneath it. A little doll had been crafted with dried cake icing that resembled her and was placed next to her name. Tables nearby were lined with various chocolate based snacks, from cookies to muffins to ice cream, all freshly baked or made from scratch. Byakuya glanced away, feeling his heart beat increase and his hunger intensify. To keep himself from gulping was causing his hands to twitch, yet being so close made the scent overpowering. The noble was sure that he'd faint any second now. The younger captain's words were already muddling through his consciousness.

"Chocolate is Hinamori's favorite," Hitsugaya stated, unaware of the eager expression on Byakuya's face. The short captain smiled, proud of his ideas. "She's gonna be ecstatic."

Ecstatic, indeed. Despite himself, Byakuya's eyes skimmed over the cake once more as he found that he couldn't reply. He licked his lips slowly. Behind his back, his hands fumbled with themselves, desperately trying to distract his mind, though the effort was utterly hopeless. There was no way to pull his eyes away from it. An overwhelming longing began seizing control, and it took every nerve within him to hold himself back from panting. When his eyes fluttered, he shut them and bit his lip. He couldn't have been more thankful that Hitsugaya's back was toward him. It was only after a few moments that he was able to regain part of his composure, though barely, taking a deep breath to forcibly calm himself down.

"Seems you've outdone yourself, Hitsugaya-taichou. That's gonna be a treat." Byakuya and Hitsugaya turned towards the kitchen doorway, where Renji stood. Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Definitely. Thanks for the help." Renji nodded, placing the box he was carrying on the floor, careful to avoid his captain's worried gaze in fear that he would burst into a hysteric fit.

"If you'll excuse me," Byakuya stated quickly, swiftly leaving the room. Renji watched him carefully.

"I'll be back," he said, aiming to catch up with him as Hitsugaya nodded.

Two rooms away, and Renji finally collapsed into a fit of laughter. "That look…That look on your face was pure _gold_!" he carried on, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh man, that was freakin' hilarious!"

The Kuchiki heir was embarrassed, yet forced himself to look Renji's in the eye as he sobered up. "The rule still applies, I'm sure you're aware," said Renji.

A stab of pain struck him in the stomach. Byakuya had never felt a longing for something so badly. His brain, his stomach, his tongue—they all shrieked at him, begging for him to plead for Renji to let the rule go, just once, just so he could satisfy the craving for the chocolate he yearned so desperately for. One taste and the captain knew that he would want more, but he needed his sanity. But then there was his pride. There was no way that it would let him do something he found so low, so beneath him.

"I understand," he finally replied. The younger's smile only grew as he held back his laughter.

_No matter how much he hates it, he wouldn't dare go against me. He's powerless, and he _knows_ it.

* * *

_

The partly was in full blast by two in the afternoon. A bunch of the younger shinigami danced to the music, as many others decided to stand around to chat or eat. The house was decorated with streamers, balloons, and confetti, all in Hinamori's favorite colors, blue and silver. Byakuya had disliked such decorations, regarding them as cheap, but Hitsugaya reminded him that this was a party to have fun, not one to be classy. All that was left was the main attraction to arrive—Hinamori herself. And it was up to Hitsugaya to lure her there.

She paced back and forth, shaking her head. He'd found her, surprisingly, outside of his own division, as if she had been looking for him. Possibly to rant to him like she was doing now, he guessed. He accurately predicted she wasn't going to listen, and sighed. Hitsugaya Toushirou was not accustomed to begging. This was not going to be easy.

"Hinamori, please-"

"_No!_ You shun me and insult me for days, and then you expect me to simply ignore all you've done and accept such a pathetic apology? How dare you believe I'm that naïve!"

"But there's nothing more I can say! I know I was wrong, but I want to make up for it. I can't if you won't let me, Hinamori."

"I can't believe this," she replied, throwing her arms into the air. "I can't believe that after all we've been through, you humiliated me so much! You really don't care about me-"

"But I do! I can't simply tell you to understand, but I really…" He stopped, his vice-captain's words ringing teasingly in his head.

_You wouldn't go through all this trouble to make her feel special if you didn't have feelings for her._

He pouted and groaned, more annoyed with Matsumoto than frustrated with the entire situation. Kami, he didn't like her! Certainly that was a possibility. Yet the more he tried to convince his friend he was sorry, the cheesier his words sounded. The captain shuddered. Time to change tactics. Without a second's hesitation, he violently seized her left arm and began dragging her in the direction of the Kuchiki estate.

Naturally, her eyes widened. "Wha—Just what do you think you're doing?"

Silence. Annoyed, she tried to escape, using her free hand to latch onto things in an effort to slow him down. When that failed, she smacked him, even bit him—anything to get loose. Yet the captain strode on, not for a second relinquishing his vice-like grip. After traveling eight blocks, he dragged her to the side wall of a closed restaurant, swinging her around to face him.

"I'll let you go if you shut up and listen to me."

She was shocked, and a disgusted look appeared on her face. "Have you lost your mind?" She was fuming, bottled up anger inches away from exploding. It took a few moments for Hitsugaya to respond to this rage, still unsure how he felt about himself. But before opening his mouth, he prayed Matsumoto was nowhere within ten miles of them, or she would be laughing at every word that was about to leave his mouth.

"All that there's left to say is I'm sorry. I can't give you a reason for why I have treated you the way I did, and I sincerely wish you can forgive me. It's hard making you see that I do care, and I guess using force wasn't the best way to make you comprehend that. But, please, Momo, please…" An awkward silence passed before her arm slid smoothly out of his hands. As his attention remained on the ground, she nodded, silently agreeing to follow him. There was still a small flame in her emotions, but something was telling her that this time he meant it.

When he moved from the wall and she followed, he heaved a sigh of relief. Only for her would he beg like that. But then, that's what friends do, right?

…Right?

* * *

"They're coming!" someone announced in a hushed whisper. People ceased their chatter and their movements. The music stopped. As Hitsugaya led the way towards the room, Hinamori glanced around nervously, highly confused. Not once had she set foot in Kuchiki-taichou's house before, and not once did she think she'd have the chance. Yet, here she was. And what did Hitsugaya's apology have to do with coming here, anyway? She had been a bit stubborn and refused to ask, the remainder of the walk filled with silence, but there was no denying just how much this didn't relate to her. Before she realized it, he had stopped in front of two large doors, and she nearly walked into him, lost in thought. He turned around to her and smiled before opening the door, and for a split second, she felt a stroke of happiness she hadn't felt in years. She smiled back as she walked inside.

"_Surprise!_" There was a series of pops, and bursts of confetti from multiple directions danced into the air. Hinamori gasped so deeply that she could barely take another breath. Still confused, she turned desperately to Hitsugaya, who was standing beside her.

"Happy Birthday, Momo." She hugged him tightly, nearly dragging him to the floor, too excited for words. He nearly choked. Everyone swarmed around her, wishing her a happy belated birthday and presenting her with gifts. Meanwhile, Ichigo watched from the surrounding upstairs balcony, raising his eyebrow and turning to Yoruichi, who was standing beside him.

"In this crowd, I've got one hell of a task, don't I?" Ichigo grinned. Unohana eyed them from across the balcony. _Shihouin Yoruichi-san? Don't tell me… _From the mob downstairs, Renji had already singled them out, narrowing his eyes, clearly irritated. _Shit! Is she helping them? This is…this is dangerous._ Ichigo caught his glare and smirked wildly back at him, as if imitating a mass murderer before his next strike. _Why the hell is he smirking? Does he think I don't think he knows what I'm planning? This s'posed to be some kinda warning? That son of a-_

"Renji!" Rukia motioned for him at a table piled high with cupcakes. "You have to try this! It's delicious!" He sighed and walked over, unable to resist any interaction with the girl. He tapped her shoulder and she immediately spun around, as if stunned by his touch. The plate in her hand flew into the air and came back down, the pastry splattering all over his face and sliding down his chest. He blinked in surprise before realizing what happened. Rukia clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I didn't expect you to get over here so quickly and, and—forget it, just come get cleaned up before people see you." Before he could react, she grabbed his arm and led him out of the main room. Wiping the cake off of his eyes, he stared—just in time to see Rukia wink subtly to someone behind her. In Ichigo's direction. Renji tried to turn and confirm it, but was snapped violently back towards Rukia as she picked up her pace and tightened her grip.

Unohana watched, helpless from the balcony, as Renji was dragged out of the room. She frowned, but assuming he could take care of himself, decided to search for Byakuya instead. Much to her surprise, however_, _he was downstairs, staring in Rukia's direction at their abrupt exit. And then behind him appeared Yoruichi, taping his shoulder and making conversation. _No! I had to get to him first!_

Ichigo watched Unohana carefully as her expression changed. He followed the path of her eyes. _Huh. So is that who he's got as back up? He's gonna have to do better than that if he's gonna put up a fight. _Shaking his head, Ichigo made his way downstairs, following Rukia's path when he was sure Retsu's attention was transfixed on Byakuya.

"Where the hell are we goin'? Stop pulling me so hard! I can walk on my own!" Rukia glared at him, her suppressed resentment ready to be let loose. She threw him a towel and shoved him into the bathroom, following closely behind and slamming the door. Renji washed his face and cleaned most of the icing off of his clothing, exhaling deeply. "There a reason you were handling me so violently?"

"_Shut up._" Caught off guard by Rukia's sudden change in tone, Renji turned to face her. Her arms were crossed, her eyes thin slits. A reiatsu flared that was causing him to choke, but even he could tell she was holding back.

"What do you want with my brother?" Renji raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

Rukia slapped him, leaving a deep red imprint on his cheek. "Don't you dare give me that! I don't have time for your sick games! You say you love me, you say we were meant to be, and when I deny you, you use my brother like some tool to get whatever you want?" She paced, running a hand over her face and through her hair. "Like you even want me to begin with. I know what you're really after, and I refuseto let you get away with it!" Before either of them could say another word, the door opened, revealing Ichigo, wary yet somewhat amused by the level of anger in Rukia's voice.

"Calm down, Rukia. There's no reason to get so angry right now." She looked away, breathing heavily. "Go back to the party; I'll handle things from here." After a few moments, she nodded, shooting Renji a furious glare before departing and closing the door behind her. Renji snickered.

"What's so funny?"

Renji snickered again. "You really think you've got me, don't you? I've got Byakuya on a fuckin' leash and there isn't anything you can do about it. I'll tell you one thing: Rukia will be _mine_, and I don't care how much it's gonna break your heart. She was mine before you came a long, and she'll be mine again. I suggest you get outta my way while you still can, before you force me to do something I don't want to, Ichi-"

A split second silence, a crack, and then blood, running slowly from Renji's nose. "You don't even know what you're in for, and you aren't doing anything. _Anyone _who tries to harm Rukia gets in my way as well." He grabbed his hakama. "And if you do, I will nothesitate to slice your head off." Renji could almost feel Ichigo's words, piercing through his skin like needles. He released him, glaring, enraged, and prepared to make his exit.

"Don't mistake me for Byakuya," Renji called out just as Ichigo reached the doorway, the smug expression never leaving his face. The orange haired shinigami stopped. "You may have been able to destroy his resolve one time, but it'll take a lot more than a few words to change mine."

Ichigo smiled, never feeling more confident in his entire life. "So be it, then." Renji's eyes followed him out of the room, amazed and slightly worried about the boy's obvious confidence. Maybe Ichigo really did having something up his sleeve—something he didn't know about, something that could ruin him for the rest of his life. _No, there's nothing he could possibly do now. It's too far in the game. Unless he actually killed me, he can't stop me.

* * *

_

Ichigo was going to kill him. Or at least, he felt very close to doing so. Yoruichi's plans were going to be essential, whatever they were. By now the crowd had since dispersed, engaging themselves in other activities besides smothering Hinamori with gifts, so the purple-haired ex-captain wasn't hard to find. She was curiously persuading Byakuya into eating chocolate. And to Ichigo's amusement, it was working.

"Byakuya-bo, stop being so stubborn," she commanded, taking a large, slow bite out of a piece of the cake. He hadn't dared to take a bite, or even a quick glance, too fearful that Renji would appear out of nowhere. It was a fairly realistic fear, too, given that he already had on several occasions in the past. Yet the mere thought was so very tempting, and he let out a light gasp against his will.

"Is there a problem with me not wanting any cake?"

"Quite. Because some part of you is just itching for a bite."

"How can you be so sure?" She chuckled lightly. It was always like Byakuya to challenge things. But even he knew that she wasn't going to verbally respond to that question. She took another bite. The noble stiffened, yet the urge to satisfy his craving was growing increasingly difficult to ignore. Yoruichi smirked, noting the ever-so-slight parting of his lips as the dessert seized his attention. Without a moment's hesitation, she lifted the remainder of cake off of her plate and stuffed it into his mouth. He choked a bit, wide-eyed and confused, but ultimately complied. As he licked his lips, she chuckled. She hadn't seen him act this way in so many years, and seeing the man lose his cool filled her undistinguishable pleasure.

"Yoruichi."

"Hmm?"

"If you _ever_ do that again, I'll-"

"Only eat another piece! Byakuya, when it comes to certain things, I know you better than you know yourself. And you allowed that to happen. So I suggest you stop an attempt to reprimand me for your own good. Okay?" She spun him around and pushed him forward until he was inches from the cake, despite his resistance to move. With a knowing grin, she left him there, leaving him to his thoughts.

The Kuchiki sighed. Doing whatever he wished wasn't the easiest of tasks at the moment, not with Renji stalking his every move. He glanced around. No Renji. And the cake _was _delicious—_No! Don't think about it._ Of course, he wasn't about to move from his position, either. So he grabbed the knife, sliced a piece the size of his hand, lifted it from the platter, opened his mouth—

"Hello, _Kuchiki-taichou_. Might I ask what you're doing?"

It's an impossible task to make a Kuchiki look innocent, yet the captain tried for the sake of his better judgment, slipping the cake behind his back.

"I am merely standing, Abarai."

"You're just asking for me to give you away, aren't you? I'm not an idiot, y'know." He walked up to the captain until he was merely inches away from his face, glaring eyes locked with Byakuya's until he seized the cake out of his hands. "I'm giving you one more chance—and one _only_—to pull yourself together," he hissed. "I'm keeping my eye on you—just be glad I'm having too much fun to let you deal with the consequences."

From the doorway to the ballroom, Yoruichi looked on with interest. At her angle, it was hard to see what had happened to halt the captain's movements, but she was fairly sure it had something to do with Renji. Yet just as quickly as she witnessed them, people again filled the gap which was her line of vision.

Ichigo and Rukia watched from the upstairs balcony as a flustered Byakuya left the ball room. As the orange haired shinigamiturned to his friend, he noticed her fists were tightly clenched as her eyes followed her brother intently. Ichigo cleared his throat, snapping her out of her hypnotic anger.

"About yesterday…I know your brother didn't want me to say anything, but I think you have a right to know-"

"I know already, Ichigo. Nii-sama told me everything."

He was shocked. "He did? Why?"

She scowled at him with arms akimbo. "Did you honestly think that after what you said that I wouldn't question him about it?"

"Well, I-"

"You should have told me how serious this was."

It was Ichigo's turn to scowl. "I tried to! It wasn't my fault you didn't want to listen!"

"If I recall correctly, you wanted me to be…what was the word? Cautious? Yes, _cautious_, not worrying about what will happen if we don't do something soon."

He groaned. "It's not like I was in the best position to tell you, y'know."

Rukia opened her mouth in harsh reply, but a light tap on her shoulder stopped her. "Unohana-taichou?"

The captain smiled too sweetly for Ichigo's liking. "Good afternoon, Rukia-san, Kurosaki-san. I hope the two of you are enjoying yourselves."

Rukia nodded. "Oh yes, a lot! Hitsugaya-taichou did a great job with surprising her." Retsu chuckled lightly in agreement as Ichigo's eyes narrowed. When he started to say something, she hushed him with her own request.

"May I speak with you for a moment in private?" She eyed Ichigo with a certain glint, unnerving him enough to place a hand on Rukia's shoulder to stop her. She glanced up with curiosity.

Retsu chuckled again, and Ichigo only tightened his grip. "Don't worry; I'll have her back to you soon enough." She winked and grabbed Rukia's hand as the latter blushed at the insinuation. He watched, cursing to himself all the while, as the two as they walked downstairs, away from his view and into the crowd. _I never told her I was suspicious of that woman! And I can't just allow them to leave…Damnit!_

On the ground, Rukia and Retsu exited through the main ballroom doors. But not before Rukia caught the gleam in Renji's eyes as he watched her leave from a nearby table. A shiver traveled up her spine, and for a brief moment, she believed Ichigo's guess might have been right.

"Rukia-san, please keep up with me." The girl quickly shook herself from her musings.

She could only pray that he was wrong.

* * *

An hour had passed since Hinamori had arrived to her party. Sighing, she took a seat on a nearby chair, reflecting on what had happened. She looked at the box of tainted cookies on her lap. "All I was intent on was getting my revenge, not even caring what could have happened in the future…I can't believe I was so stupid." Light tears began welling up in her eyes. Shaking her head, she stood abruptly, tossing them away and running back to the party.

When he was sure she had left, Byakuya snuck from around the corner nervously, looking from his left to his right. Sure that nobody was around, he tip toed to the garbage can, where Hinamori threw away her cookies, his heart racing faster with every passing second. Chocolate, such delicious chocolate, again it would be at his , he snatched the box out of the garbage and ripped it apart, tearing through its contents greedily and thoroughly ignoring his pride. So sweet…so much sweeter were these cookies than the others. His eyes fluttered in ecstasy and he licked his fingers eagerly, sliding on the wall to the floor and continuously stuffing cookies in his mouth.

"Byakushi?" Byakuya stood up instantly, nearly choking as he wiped his face. He hid the remainder of the cookies behind his back.

"Byakushi?" the voice asked again. He turned around to see Yachiru staring at him curiously.

"Whatcha doin'?" Silence.

"You were eating chocolate cookies, weren't ya?"

He looked up, eyes widened in surprise. "Were you…watching me?" Yachiru's smile did nothing but grow. Byakuya was tempted to flash step away, but there was no doubt that she would find him later. And perhaps, in a more compromising spot while he was surrounded by people.

"What of it?" In a flash, her eyes narrowed.

"Renji-kun told me why you did what you did to me." Her speech, her tone, the presence of her reiatsu—all changed within a matter of seconds, and not in a positive manner. For once, it seemed, she was serious. Byakuya looked away, feeling guilty. He had never exactly apologized, and now he might have to pay the price.

"Yachiru, I know what I did was unforgivable-"

"Yeah, okay, sure," she responded hastily, not taking his words to heart. "I thought you loved me."

He raised his eyebrow. "I respect you and attempt to treat you as an equal in the workplace, but I have not…fallen in love with you." He almost blushed. It was somewhat amusing that the girl believed he'd actually fallen for her. Yachiru, however, was not so amused. Arms crossed, she marched up to him and locked her irritated eyes with his.

"Well if you won't love me, I won't keep your secret." She spoke rather innocently, a sudden change in tone that the noble was wary of. _This, this cannot be happening…First with Renji, now with Yachiru? He had to have planned this. _

"I'll spend a lot more time with you," Byakuya stalled, "and this I promise, but only if you do me a favor and keep an eye out for Renji and tell me when he does anything suspic-" Within seconds, he had toppled to the ground, the excited child hugging him to death.

"You got it! I'll get right to it!" With a peck on the cheek, she jumped off of him and ran towards the other side of the house. He sat up, sighing and beginning to stand. _The things I do for peace…this is going to get back at me, much, much later on. _He pulled out the remainder of the cookies, only to find that he had one left. Disappointed, he bit into it, savoring every bite and shivering faintly before leaving the area. He decided to find Yachiru before she caused too much trouble.

* * *

"Unohana-taichou, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Rukia asked once the two emerged outside of the estate after ten minutes of silence.

Retsu looked up. "Hmm? Oh right, that_._" She was silent for a few moments more, lost in deep thought. Rukia looked on curiously. "What I wanted to tell you," she began, a soft breeze blowing through the air, "is about your brother. In a few days, we will be married."

Rukia's eyes widened. She wasn't sure whether to be excited, nervous, or skeptical. "Nii-sama? Married? So abruptly?" Retsu smiled politely.

"Yes, I am incredibly joyful about the event. Kuchiki-san—ahh, Byakuya—he didn't want to tell you this, but we…I'm pregnant with his baby."

Rukia nearly fainted, unknowing of her lies. "Wait, wha-?" A black bag was forced over her head. "Mmmm! Mmm mmm!"

Retsu smirked, pulling hard at the bags ends and tying them into a knot. "Shhh. Hush now, Rukia. Everything will be well in good time…" Quickly, she raised the bag over her mouth, slipping in a small purple pill before sliding the bag back down again. Rukia struggled, pulling desperately away from Retsu's grasp and attempting to scream as loud as she could. But the little amount of air in the bag subdued nearly all noise. Unohana's grasp only grew tighter, pulling back with greater force than that of Rukia's.

_What the hell is going on? Why is she trying to kidnap me? Is she working with Renji? But that's impossible, this is Unohana-taichou! Yoruichi! Ichigo! _An unpleasant reiatsu registered in her senses, interrupting her frantic thoughts of distress. She became frozen to her spot, panic, shock, and rage pulsing wildly through her veins.

"Are we ready?" Retsu nodded. "Good." Warm breath covered Rukia's neck, followed by a slow lick. She gasped and cringed at the sudden sensation before pushing herself away. He grabbed her before she could pull away completely. "I always did enjoy the way you tasted," he whispered coarsely into her ear. Her chest heaved in rage, even as his lips collided with hers.

Ichigo was right. Undeniably right. And now that Retsu's mystery medicine had begun taking effect, she barely had the energy to process the thought. But barely enough was just enough to realize that Renji wanted her more than she thought he was capable of desiring. Too much to for him to keep his sanity without her. And if she didn't find a way out of this, he might just get his way.

"Alright, let's go," Retsu urged when Rukia finally passed out in Renji's arms. "Kurosaki is probably on a man hunt for the both of us and will be here any minute."

Renji nodded as she released her zanpakutou. "Purify the flesh," she whispered, "Minazuki." Her large, flying, one-eyed manta-ray appeared in front of them within seconds, readily positioned for mounting.

Renji allowed himself quite a childish grin. He always had enjoyed her. The sound of her voice, the color of her eyes, the vivacity of her personality. And of course, the way she tasted. Now it was time to test just how much of her he could enjoy—from head to toe.

* * *

**End of chapter four**

~Twi


	5. the Tough Get Going

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

**Chapter five: …the Tough Get Going

* * *

**

The glass shattered to the ground. A picture frame fell to the floor. Such were the effects of two fists colliding with a wooden table. He trembled with anger, and Yoruichi knew it was far past the point of calming him down. Byakuya stared on, silently sharing the emotions.

"I was there! I was right there and I didn't do a damn thing!" Ichigo growled. The party had since ended, and it was only then that he had realized that Rukia had been taken swiftly and slyly by Unohana Retsu and Abarai Renji. And that had been an entire hour ago. "We have to find her!"

"Retsu would not have taken her anywhere besides her own division," assumed Byakuya. "It is not a matter of finding her, but retrieving her before she is harmed." Ichigo could tell, though, that he was not speaking with confidence.

"Then if we have a hunch to where she is, we should go now. The more time we waste here the longer they have her." He had barely even glanced at the door before Yoruichi restrained him. His expression screamed for an explanation.

"Byakuya and I must go. _Alone._" Eyes widened, livid.

"You're telling me to stay here? I can't just stay here while he's doing whatever he wants to her!"

"And yet you have no choice," she concluded. "You can't be involved in these affairs if you pose a threat to a captain, Ichigo, no matter what the circumstance. These aren't rules I created, but if you want to set foot in Seireitei again, you have no choice but to abide by them."

The teen glared at her before resolving to fix himself to the couch. Hands fidgeted with themselves; a foot tapped consistently on the wood floor. Byakuya broke through the substitute's angry hypnotic thought in a loose effort to reassure him.

"We will find her," he stated firmly. "Of that I am certain." Ichigo glanced into his eyes, briefly catching a flash of determination. Sighing, he ceased his foot tapping and sunk as deeply as possible into the couch. He _knew_ they were going to find her; it was her condition, the potential harm that could be caused to Rukia's fragile and now most definitely weakened form that he was concerned about.

The elder shinigami resolved to leave before Ichigo could respond, and had disappeared by the time he had inclined his head to interject his protest. Frowning, Ichigo left the reading room and headed for the entrance of the estate.

Like hell he was going to stay _here.

* * *

_

Rukia awoke slowly, a faint light blinding her sensitive eyes. Ignoring the throbbing of her head, she sat upright on the wooden bench and looked around with heightening curiosity. Rows of bookcases striped the room, much like a library. Lining the walls surrounding her were more shelves with books neatly placed from the floor to inches below the mansion high ceiling, patterned with a mass of fluorescent lights. Yet the only light in the empty room radiated from the tiny window she was stationed in front of, in a small alcove between two immense bookcases. Confused, she shifted her body to balance as she stood, but with her mind still lost in haze, she fell backwards.

"I wouldn't move around too much, if I were you." The girl hadn't the energy to meet the voice with her attention, so she simply laid still at the spot she had fallen to. A calloused hand caressed her cheek, but only when she felt her lips parting did she finally connect the dots. Rousing all of her energy, she ferociously wrenched herself from his grasp, eyes flaring even as her knees gave way to weakness. Renji looked on in interest as she angrily attempted to undo herself from the _kidou_ bind on her wrists.

"Don't be so serious, Rukia-chan." He kneeled down and lightly patted her head. She snapped at him. Literally.

"Don't you _dare _call me that," she snarled. "You _will_ tell me what exactly you want with me and you _will_ let me go."

" 'M afraid I can't do either of those just yet. You weren't kidnapped for nothing, y'know." She struggled to stand, but it was no use with the drug's strenuous effects on her body. When she wavered, Renji took full advantage, pushing her to the ground and pinning her there with his weight. Despite her violent thrashing, Renji kept her in place, gently kissing her neck.

"Don't move," he advised as she tried yet again to get away, burying her face into his chest. "You're only making this harder for yourself." The struggling continued, evoking from him a strained sigh. Grabbing her arms, he rolled over on the floor so that their positions were reversed.

"Fine, then. Leave. See how far you get in your condition stuck in a kidou binding you can't break." At first, she didn't move, as if to test for sarcasm. But her qualms did not last for long, and she stood, cautiously backing away. Her eyes remained transfixed on him for a few steps, but when she dared to look up, the library began whirling. Faster, faster, turning sideways, racing forwards, dashing backwards, until she collapsed once more, her head smacking into the seat of the bench before sliding down to the floor in pain.

Renji towered over her, sighing as she bit her lip in an effort to stop the tears. "Told ya."

"Shut-up."

He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "No." She froze when he kneeled and sloppily kissed her neck. Helpless on the floor of a library she was, letting a love-starved man she denied numerous times kiss her on her neck. Her cheek. Her lips…

A sudden spike of enraged reiatsu erupted somewhere amongst the domino of bookshelves, causing Renji's head to whip in that direction. Mid-turn, the blade of Senbonzakura met his neck, its cool metal touch halting his movements before he could register what had happened.

"N-Nii-sama!" exclaimed Rukia in an exasperated gasp. With the reaction lag she was still affected by, her brother's sudden appearance startled her, to say the least. The pressure of his reiatsu dizzied her as well, and Rukia was sure she would pass out any second. Renji took a deep breath before shifting focus on his captain.

"_Unhand my sister._"

Sweat streaked steadily down the vice-captain's neck as he stalled for a plan. "You'd kill me if I refused?"

With a tightening grip, the captain flicked his wrist to amputate Renji's arm. Yoruichi flash stepped to his side, yanking him backwards. "Byakuya!"

The blade barely scratched the redhead's shoulder. "Don't be brash," she hissed. Byakuya, however, never removed his glare. Renji stood up from a frightened Rukia, dusting himself and regaining his composure.

"I'm so surprised you'd attempt to hurt me when I have your sister _and _the picture! That takes real b-"

His eyes widened, and Renji dropped to his knees. Even when he had fought with his captain, the sheer intensity of his reiatsu hadn't been this powerful. Now it asphyxiated him, subduing his movements and commanding respect. His captain wasn't holding back. If he didn't do something soon, Byakuya was indeed going to kill him.

Rukia squirmed, attempting to mumble something. "St-stop…please…" It was Byakuya's turn to be surprised. He relaxed his reiatsu, realizing the pressure was too much for her in her injured state. As Renji laid on the ground, Byakuya comforted his sister. By now, her body was sore from moving, as her muscles remained weakened. The energy she had used to attempt to flee had been the last she had, and the toll on her body finally allowed it to rest. She passed out in his arms.

Yoruichi glared at man on the floor, placing arms akimbo in a chastising manner as Byakuya laid his sister gently on the bench. "This is ridiculous, Renji. If you're letting lust drive you to these means-"

"Lust? Do you really think that's what this entire thing is about?" He snickered, getting up from the ground. "If you're thinking I was planning on raping her, you're both idiots. But then, should I expect any less from nobles who are so easily duped? I know monkeys that could outwit you-"

"_Be quiet!_" his captain spat, stepping forward.

Yoruichi intervened, placing herself between the two men before they could attack each other. "Stop it!" she hissed to him again, quietly enough for only him to hear. "Don't let your emotions dictate your actions, Byakuya." It wasn't a command she ever thought would leave her mouth, as the man's outward personality seemed set to homeostasis for the better portion of his life. But the ex-captain easily sensed that he was cracking beneath the weight of stress, shattered pride, and withdrawn rage. And the abduction of his sister was the tipping point. Renji couldn't die at his captain's hands. Byakuya had enough to deal with as it was; the last thing he needed was to be convicted of senseless murder.

Renji snickered again, ignoring him with a nonchalant wave of his hand and realizing the logistics of the situation. "If he wants to kill me, let him kill me. It'll accomplish most of what I intended with the picture anyway." Byakuya watched intently as he casually walked away. Unable to maintain his composure, he flash stepped towards him when Yoruichi's focus was diverted. Renji blocked the attacked with his own zanpakutou, smiling all the while despite struggling against the force of the blow.

"Byakuya!" Yoruichi's shouts wouldn't stop him. This insanity had to end. He wouldn't kill him, of course, but Renji had to pay the price. And he was going to start right now.

He stepped forward, angling himself to prepare for another attack when a series of cramps seized his stomach. Though sharp and swift, the pain was near unbearable, and he found himself collapsing to his knees before it. Somewhere behind him, Yoruichi's shouts, high pitched an anxious, registered, but barely. The pangs intensified, twisting his stomach in a multitude of ways and weakening his ability to move. Sporadic stabs of nausea attacked him. Byakuya lurched forward wildly, his hands acting as his only brace as they stole balance from the floor. His breathing quickened in fright as his stomach knotted and folded.

With a knowing grin, Renji placed the tip of Zabimaru underneath the captain's chin. "That's right. Bow for me, princess." He lifted his chin, revealing a Byakuya wincing in pain. Renji cackled quietly to himself, sadistically mirroring the actions performed on him only minutes ago.

"You have one chance, Abarai, and one only, to let go of your captain and take back your words."

"Or what?" The blade was pressed lightly against the side of the captain's neck, wounding it just enough for it to bleed. Yoruichi tensed. Although she well knew that they wouldn't kill each other for now, she couldn't afford to take chances with the crazed vice-captain. The rather dangerous consequences, she concluded, were unnecessary. And safely escaping with Rukia and Byakuya was more important.

Renji snickered, placing the blade ever further into his neck, though faintly. For Byakuya, the need to throw up was consuming. Eyes unable to focus and pain tilting on excruciating, he knocked the blade away with as much force as he could muster. Unfortunately, he over exerted himself, and with another lurch, one hand using the ground for support, he threw up on the beige carpeted floor—three times. Renji looked on in disgust as his captained proceeded to cough up blood. Anxious, Yoruichi knelt by his side, unsure of what to do.

"Get up, Kuchiki."

By now, the man had been significantly weakened. There was little strength left to even clench a fist. Knives, needles, glass shards—something was sticking into his stomach and slicing it with every breath he made. And now, the impossible-to-control urge to vomit re-arose. He couldn't even panic.

"I said get _up._" No response. Losing his patience, Renji kicked him square in the stomach, letting out an annoyed growl. Byakuya screamed in pain, doubling over before violently throwing up once more, although what came up was blood as there was little else. The red head stared disapprovingly, shaking his head. Yet any other of his possible actions was halted when a _kodachi_ knife was pressed against his throat in matter of milliseconds.

"_Yoruichi_," he growled through gritted teeth.

"_Stop this!_"

Renji snapped his head to the stop of the single staircase that led out of the Fourth Division's archives, beginning to worry. Yoruichi turned as well to a seething Unohana Retsu glaring at her partner in crime. Without another word, she swiftly made her way to Byakuya. Her expression softened upon realizing he had fainted from the pain, only to harden again upon spotting the blood, among other things, soaking into the carpeted floor. She sent Renji yet another harsh look, and Yoruichi's hand only tightened around her blade.

"Unohana Retsu, are you at all aware of the violations you've committed? You should be ashamed to even call yourself a captain." Her voice sizzled with contempt.

"Ahh, you've seen right through me. I applaud your apt judgment." She gently turned Byakuya so his head lay in her lap, and tenderly caressed black, silk strands.

"Determining that Renji couldn't have pulled this off himself does not require the smallest ounce of your praise."

The captain's eyes passed from Yoruichi to Renji, still frozen by the threat of the former's blade. "Yes, there's Renji." She rose from her spot, folding her arms in impatience. "We'll talk about what happened to _him _later."

"There won't be a later. Return the Kuchiki now and I'll make sure no one learns of either of your actions." She pulled Renji with her as she backed away, pressing the blade into his skin, as if urging Retsu to make a move. Anxious of his fate, Renji glanced quickly between the two women, making a point to catch Retsu's eye as a plea for help.

"Of course you wouldn't. But what would you do? Killing his subordinate in exchange for Rukia-chan's safety and Byakuya-sama's marital status does not fit anywhere within your lines of reason, does it, Shihouin Yoruichi?" The ex-captain growled, but only quietly enough for Renji to hear. The woman was slyer than she'd give her credit for, and only now was she beginning to see the reason why all of the divisions' men feared her.

"How can you be so sure?"

The captain chuckled a bit and lightly smiled. "Because you don't want to be associated with this chaotic mess any more than I do. The quicker all is handled, the fewer problems are created, and the more efficient the cover up will be. Am I right?" At the question, Retsu cocked her head to one side, maintaining her smile and spiking Yoruichi's frustration. Her hand now quivered on the blade, and Renji took advantage of her mental stress with his own offensive remark.

"Besides, your jealousy wouldn't do much to save Kuchiki-taichou once he's married, either. Of course, I'm sure he'd understand-"

"Shut-_up_, Abarai." As her hand began to shake, her eyes narrowed in ferocious rage.

Pacing, Retsu disregarded the glare. "Well then! It's about time this conversation ended." Yoruichi tensed, preparing to flash step in an effort to subdue the captain before she made another move. However, it wasn't long before her hands drooped and her knees gave in against her will. She found herself short of breath and dizzy in a matter of seconds. Retsu's chuckle captured her attention only briefly before she stared wide-eyed at the tiny black orb in the former's hand.

"Wasurenag…wasure…wasure…" Yoruichi struggled to keep focus.

"Wasurenagusa—a second division covert ops offense mechanism that slows the reactions of brain stimuli until the subject passes out. You know of it, I'm sure. It was once your favorite method of escaping. But do not forget whose division it was who developed them." The ex-captain clenched her fists in vain, yet even that action drew too deeply from her energy reserves. Eyelids drooping dangerously, she clenched her teeth and rose from the floor against the will of her limbs.

"I will not be…beaten by a…smoke bomb," she breathed.

Retsu laughed lightly. "Oh? I would not be so quick to make claims that can't be supported."

Yoruichi attempted to shunpo before realizing her brain had already forgotten how. Frustrated, she used the last of her energy to charge for Retsu, even as her vision blurred. But the captain was more than prepared for handling the woman's sluggish movements. She grabbed Yoruichi's arms with ease and threw her into a bookcase which became dangerously close to falling on her after she was smacked into it. Again, Yoruichi tried to move, but her body only gave a small twitch to announce the effort. The bomb was taking effect more rapidly than she had anticipated. _She…chemical…highest dose…_

Unohana's smirk grew sadistic. "It's time for me to acclaim happiness. _Don't_ get in the way." Against her will, Yoruichi's eyes shut, and the fourth division captain sighed in relief that she didn't have to draw her sword. Luckily, she had thought ahead and had she and Renji wear the only things that protected against the gas: _kioku_ patches, which continuously released the anti-stimulus into their system.

Meanwhile, Renji glanced around anxiously at the three unconscious bodies on the floor, wiping sweat off of his brow. "Thanks."

"You could have killed him, Abarai," she snarled in reply. "Be it for your own selfish desires or not, if you attempt anything like that again you will not have a part in the spoils of my success. Now bring your captain through the front entrance and report he had a seizure and collapsed. I'll follow momentarily." She picked Rukia up from the bench bridal style and quickly made her way to the other side of the library before Renji could think of a retort. Instead, he stared at her in astonishment as she disappeared from view.

_She's gonna let me go me if I don't obey _her?

A door somewhere in the distance slammed, a loud click signifying that it had been locked. Growling, he seized Byakuya's hand and dragged him across the room to the backdoor. "When you wake up," he snarled, "you'd better do as you're told. I can't afford…" He tightened his grasp on the hand as he stopped in front of the door.

"…to lose."

* * *

She didn't quite understand why she was shivering so fervently. Perhaps remnants of Kuchiki-taichou's reiatsu were still affecting her. Maybe it was the unnatural threat in Renji's tone. No, it was the culmination of these things that gave her such disquiet. But hiding within the bookshelves, she mused, was not going to solve the problem in the slightest. Was it safe to step out?

Holding her breath, Ise Nanao made her way to a desk nearby, a few feet away from where she was standing. She had retreated to the back of the library what seemed like half an hour ago to read in peace when she heard voices. Yet as they grew angry, she couldn't help but sneak back and eavesdrop on the subject. Horrified at what she heard, she had hidden herself in the back of the library. Unohana-taichou had later ordered Kuchiki-taichou upstairs, but what of the others? The slamming of a door only a few feet away shook her, and she had been frozen to the spot ever since.

That solitary half hour led her to consider a multitude of questions she was unable to process, one of which specifically protruded in her mind: Just what exactly did Unohana-taichou want with Kuchiki Byakuya? Whatever that woman's desires, it seemed to be the root of everything that had occurred, and Nanao was fairly certain those wishes would bring about negative repercussions for the Kuchiki and Yoruichi. Speaking of Shihouin, just what was she doing back in the Soul Society? She wasn't exactly banned, but certainly not one of the Seireitei's more welcomed of guests, redeemed reputation or not…

The muddled collection of thoughts had spurred Nanao to stroll around the library unconsciously. As she attempted to create a coherent story from the sparse bits of information at her disposal, a light clicking sound traveled to her ears, alerting Nanao before she had time to adequately react. Retsu, she realized, had left whatever room she had been cooped up in.

"Ise-fukutaichou? What are you doing in here?"

Cursing inwardly, she turned and attempted to answer in the most plausible of ways. "Forgive me, Unohana-taichou. I wanted something to read; lying sick in a hospital bed for a week isn't the most entertaining of pastimes."

The captain chuckled lightly. "Of course it isn't. But why not ask someone to bring a book to you? Surely you must still feel weakened."

"I desired to stretch."

"Ah, of course."

Nanao noted that the captain's expression had lost the cheeriness it contained when the conversation started, as if the latter was rationalizing something. The answers to all her questions, she realized, were most likely in that room. But there would be no accessing it now, and probably any time in the near future.

"Well!" exclaimed Retsu suddenly, shaking the vice-captain from her thoughts. She tried her best not to jump. "Please don't wander around too much; we must be able to keep track of you in case anything happens."

Nanao bowed. "Yes, Unohana-taichou." She ascended the stairs, Ise following shortly behind. That woman…she was definitely attempting something she should have never even dreamed. Something that was harming others for her own, possibly selfish ends, if the shouts earlier on were any indicator. And Ise was going to make it her business to find out what it was before that woman struck again.

* * *

Renji looked on as his unconscious captain lied in a hospital bed in a room secluded from the other patients. The fourth division crew already treated him as much as they could, so there was nothing more they could do at the moment. Isane switched her attention back and forth between Byakuya and his worried vice-captain. "He will be okay. He just needs to rest," she commented in an effort to comfort him. Not like it was necessary; Renji's concern was almost entirely feigned. But the man only nodded as if in a trance. After one last glance, Isane exited the room, leaving the man to his thoughts.

Why had Byakuya even collapsed at all? _He_ hadn't done anything to start it. And in fear of him being further harmed, Retsu prohibited anyone save Isane down to her fifth seat from even touching him. …So what the hell had happened? The man grunted, beginning to obey the urge to pace. As he approached the door, he could hear Isane relaying bits of his captain's condition to Unohana in the hallway. The words, however, flittered by like leaves in an autumn wind. The sight of that woman stirred up the comment he'd only momentarily relinquished from his mind.

…_You will not have a part in the spoils of my success…_

A part of him thought she couldn't be completely serious. If it came down to it, he could confess everything and bring her down with him. This she couldn't do to him; she was simply too obsessed with Byakuya to risk losing him. But he couldn't help but think that the woman's desperate methods to get captain Kuchiki would drive her to any means necessary to get what she wanted—even if it included finding a way to eliminate his presence in the grand scheme of things. With the latter idea in mind, something had to be done to get Byakuya out of that division before Retsu realized the captain was his vital trump card—or he was going to lose everything he had worked so hard to attain.

At the sound of steps approaching the doorway, he whirled around. "Where's Rukia?" he blurted anxiously. Unohana shrugged him off.

"Safe." Her attention shifted to the captain as she stepped inside of the room, a pang in her heart as she gazed at his unconscious figure. "And it seems that Byakuya is more injured than I initially thought. Your rather dainty kick added two broken ribs to a stomach marginally torn in several places. It's almost as if miniature knives cut through the muscle. Kidou treatments have been successful in patching the holes and stopping the bleeding, but," she cast a glare in Renji's direction, "it would be _best_ if you weren't so incredibly careless." Even Renji had to admit fierce chastisement from Retsu still unnerved him enough to straighten up his act a bit. But only just a tad.

Eyes rolled and arms crossed. "So I damaged the goods a little. It's not like he won't recover."

"I wonder, should I worry about your apathy, or should I simply do something about it? You forget that at this very moment I'm the only one who knows where your 'dear' mistress is right now."

"Really? Heh, and I actually believed you when said her being in your care was 'safe.'"

"Don't test me, Abarai." Silence enveloped the air between them for a few moments as Retsu preoccupied herself with toying with Byakuya's hair. "I'm going to need you to do something with Yoruichi, by the way."

"What?"

"She is still downstairs, incapacitated, but when she awakes she can't be here. Having three people earlier seen together suddenly subdued in the Fourth Division would create unwanted suspicion."

"…"

"So take her somewhere and do it quickly. It's not as if that library is secret to this division." Renji sucked his teeth, turning to leave. Yet as he made his way out, he stopped midway and, though barely, inclined his head in Retsu's direction.

"With that picture I can do anything. And if I get Byakuya to suddenly start ignoring you, your desires wouldn't be worth anything. Not to mention my safety would be guaranteed. So you would do best as to not push me, Unohana-taichou."

Not even Retsu could identify what it was in him that made her seethe. Was it those condescending words? His mere presence in these affairs? The fact that he was right? The door slammed at Abarai's exit, increasing Retsu's irritation. Had her beloved not stirred and groaned in distress, she would have likely followed. The demeaning attitude of some of Seireitei's men was suffocating, and she refused long ago to stand for it anymore. Between Yamamoto's snatching of her funds, Zaraki's subtle yet revolting sexual advances, Kurotsuchi's disregard of her orders and stealing of patients as test subjects, and Renji's impertinence, someone was going to pay, or respect was going to be seized. Retsu preferred choice two.

Lightweight white curtains fluttered in a cool breeze. The first thing Kuchiki Byakuya felt, however, was not the tranquility of rest but twinges in his stomach. Twinges escalated into acute spasms, causing him to lurch upwards, teeth clenched and eyes snapped shut. The sudden rush of blood to his head led to unwelcomed throbbing and dizziness. Clasping the side of the bed, he rolled over and threw up blood on the wooden floor. He laid back on the bed slowly, stomach lurching mildly.

"My, my, Kuchiki-taichou. What a mess you've made."

He gazed up groggily, although barely able to open his eyes at all. Focusing on a single object with the feeling of needles in his stomach proved to be more difficult than he could manage, but he attempted anyway. "Uno…hana?"

"Relax, my dear, you're sick. Rather dangerously so." He forced himself to turn to her direction, watching with the little strength he had as she prepared medicine to administer to him on a table opposite his bed. It was then that he realized he was one of the private treatment rooms of the Fourth Division, used primarily for critically injured patients or long term guests. This made him worry.

"Kuchiki-taichou, what is the last thing you remember?" Her calm tone dismantled his anxiety, and he found himself lying back on the bed to attempt to relax. His stomach churned, producing from him a wince and moan. The headache had not yet ceased, so thoughts were jumbled. He was quite surprised himself that his words weren't slurring together in his head as he attempted to form a sentence.

"A party of some sort," he began, eyes drooping. "with…people…many of them. And something sweet. Something like…like choco-" Another spasm, this one more violent than the last. He lurched forward completely, teeth ground hard against each other as he forced himself to keep down whatever was in his stomach. Thinking quickly, Retsu grabbed a wastebasket and placed it by the captain's bed in case he vomited. Every lurch brought him increasingly staggering pain that forced tears to his eyes. She watched helplessly until he fell back on his pillow in exhaustion, thankful that he hadn't thrown up at all.

As he attempted to regain his composure, Retsu's eyes softened. This was the man she desired in secret for decades. Someone she knew, as much her younger, had still plenty to learn of life experiences and thus so foolishly clung to the past. The lives of shinigami were far too long for one to consume himself with grief over lovers long lost. She would never understand what it was exactly that _that_ woman charmed him with. Her features were nothing extravagant; she had little more than average intelligence. She was weakness, frailty, vulnerability personified. But perhaps that was why, Unohana mused as an exhausted Byakuya drifted in and out of consciousness, stomach temporarily calming. Perhaps it was because she was so fragile. Maybe it offered him the peace of mind he never had as responsibilities attached quickly to his name through the years. The captain shook her head, smiling lightly. But he should have known choosing someone so pitiable would not have the vigor to stand at his side for however long he wished. What a naïve conception.

Byakuya stilled, asleep. Retsu, careful not to reawaken him, opened his mouth slightly and spoon fed a tablespoon of silvery, viscous liquid. Once finished, she sat beside him, casually stroking his silk strands, the _kenseikan_ having been long since removed. "Rest," she whispered, leaning down to meet his cheek. Yet she paused, groaning inwardly, before sitting up to look more presentable. "Come in," she called, the door creaking open before one of the lower seats had knocked. He blinked, somewhat embarrassed though for what reason he couldn't identify, and stepped slowly into the room.

"O-Oh, um…Isane-fukutaichou said you might need some help-"

"Clean this up," she demanded, motioning to the mess on the floor. He cringed. "That will be all." As she made her way out of the room, she smiled, noting she had been a tad harsher than she intended. Such harshness was better suited for Renji and his arrogance. After all, that man's recklessness was going to cause her a great deal of pain if not soon checked.

Perhaps abandoning him wouldn't be such an irrational possibility, after all. She refused to consider the idea that he had more of an upper hand. In fact, didn't she have the advantage now? As long as the Kuchiki were in her immediate care, they, Byakuya in particular, were useless to that arrogant fool. Didn't he realize that she could sicken them on purpose, thus keeping them here as long as she wanted? It was a shame she had just realized it herself. But better late than never, and she laughed at her findings. Renji was no longer a necessary puppet.

Renji could be disposed of.

* * *

If there was one thing Ichigo couldn't figure out, it was why all the buildings in Seireitei looked exactly the same from above and below. Flash stepping on the ground and on roof tops was not leading him to the Fourth any faster, and the teen was sure an hour had passed. An entire hour seemed like a daunting amount of time for things to progress significantly. He wondered, when his resolve wavered, whether if he should indeed leave it up to Yoruichi and Byakuya, but he was simply too selfish; he wanted to see Rukia safe and alive with his own eyes. He also wanted Renji's bones crushing between his fingers.

Quick flashes of a moving form on the ground caught his attention. All too familiar crimson red hair struck Ichigo with rage, and he jumped down and drew his sword before the other could respond.

"And where the hell do you think you're going?" Renji glanced over his shoulder and smirked knowingly. That was when Ichigo noticed who it was slung over Renji's back and paled. If Yoruichi was here and in this state, then what had become of the others?

"Just dropping off a package." Renji finally responded. Ichigo growled, his reiatsu already beginning to crack the ground beneath him. Yet they both knew that the unconscious Yoruichi would become a shield if Ichigo decided to make a move.

"Where are the others? What have you done with them?" It was much more a demand than a question. These intermingling games of hide-and-seek had to cease, but the red-head wasn't quite ready.

"The Kuchiki are…where they should be. Y'know, it still amazes me that you're pinning all the blame on me. Unohana-taichou has a hand pretty deep in this, too. I'd say ask _her_, but you still don't even know your way around this place, do you?" He snickered. "Pathetic." He placed Yoruichi on the ground, his eyes never leaving Ichigo's. "She's your problem now."

"Stop!" Ichigo's yell was in vain—Renji had flash stepped away, knowing the teen was bound to the spot with woman unable to fend for herself. The substitute cursed, but knelt by her side. Her eyes twitched, and Ichigo noticed she wasn't knocked out like he thought she was.

"Yoruichi?" He received a moan in response. After a few minutes of Ichigo's coaxing her to move, Yoruichi sat up on the ground, head slightly swaying. He caught her before she collided with the ground. "Yoruichi!"

She blinked upon hearing the urgency of his voice and the cries of 'Are you okay?' that followed. Instead of replying, she attempted, and succeeded, in standing, hurriedly glancing around her and scowling. Ichigo noticed she stared off in the same direction Renji had escaped as her fists tightened before addressing him. Yet her words slurred, and she put her head in her hands and sat on the ground. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes and the ex-captain felt as if she had regained her bearings.

"Retsu has them," she began, looking at the ground. "Retsu has Rukia and Byakuya in the Fourth Division." Ichigo growled through clenched teeth. He knew something bad was going to happen. But time was of the essence, so he refrained from asking what happened.

"Can't they be reported? Byakuya and Rukia, I mean—can't they be reported as being kidnapped? Held hostage?"

Yoruichi shook her head. "As long as she has them, we can't do anything. She could make them become patients by sickening them, and our claims would be invalid."

"But we have to do something!"

"Not now we can't. And even if we decided something as reckless as invading that division, I'm in no condition to fight." She was right in the latter case. Ichigo wasn't sure what had happened to her to knock her unconscious, but even he realized that her reactions were still somewhat sluggish. But that didn't mean hecouldn't do anything.

Yoruichi seemed to sense what he was thinking. "Ichigo, don't bother. For now, our best option is to step back and make another plan. We're at a disadvantage now; we just have to figure out how to bounce back." He sighed, unable to look her in the eye. He wanted to prevent Byakuya from losing his title. He wanted Renji to pay. He wanted this fiasco to end, and Rukia safe. And Ichigo wasn't one for holding patience as a virtue. At his silence, she continued.

"I still have business to take care of. I wouldn't suggest you stay here for too much longer. It would be best to rest."

"But I-"

"_Ichigo._"

There wasn't going to be any arguing against that chastising expression, so he reluctantly gave in. He had to admit, some rest would be nice after the stress of the past few days. Ichigo knew he couldn't truly rest until Rukia was by his side, but to close his eyes, simply for a little while, would be at least a tad bit soothing.

"Will you be okay?" he asked hesitantly.

At this, she heartily laughed, confusing him. "Is that truly a question for me?"

"I guess not…"

"Good. Well then, later."

* * *

He watched as she left, sighing to himself. Now to spend another hour finding how to leave_._

_She feels as if she is floating; a deep voice shouts with a soothing one. It sounds like arguing._

_Darkness._

_The world dizzies her, and she falls to the ground. A snicker, though distant, she hears, and cringes at the voice that follows._

_Emptiness._

_An intimidating man, shouts, hisses, collapsing. Sadistic chuckles._

_Bare space._

_A conversation. Casual? Tension…and finally, the joyous scent of forget-me-nots…_

Eyes were heavy; limbs weak. Her mere consciousness was faint. She shivered, seeing her breath in the air. Where she was, she didn't know, but knowing eyes behind the room's shadows were enough to draw out her curiosity.

The eyes belonged to Renji, but to her this meant nothing. She felt as if she was still consumed by an eerie dream state—although disjointed, most definitely real. As it was, she couldn't remember past waking up that morning, at least not in a coherent fashion. The eyes lay transfixed on her, but she found herself easily ignoring them. She had not the energy to care before a voice simmered through her thoughts. It matched with one of the various ones in her conglomeration of random memories, though she couldn't quite pinpoint it. Something underlying in it made it sinister—at least enough to startle the girl in her fragile condition. It beckoned her attention, which she couldn't altogether control, but attempted anyway.

"Do with her what you will. She's awakening, though."

"Stop speaking as if she's a thing. I wouldn't do anything against her will-"

"Which is why you kidnapped her and forced yourself on her? And don't you want to be married as well-"

"Kidnapping was _your_ idea and made things easier, didn't it? I didn't force myself, either—I just wanted her to remember."

One voice snickered. "Remember what? What fond memories could she ever have of being with you?"

"Don't mock me."

"Don't disrespect me."

A distressed moan shifted their attention. It was hers, yet it felt distant. Her head involuntarily turned; eyes fluttered briefly as if drugged. She felt as if she were being observed, although she had little perception of what was going on.

"She's probably the most affected by the Wasurenagusa, being already unconscious when I used it. I wonder if her memory is intact?" There was a sigh, belonging, she assumed, to one of the voices. Was it Renji? Or the other one? A hand brushed against her cheek. She stilled in response.

"I'd like to be left alone."

The other voice sniffed, leaving without another word. Consumed by silence, something in being alone with that man created discomfort, yet she couldn't pinpoint why. Soft whispers in her ear made her shiver. Renji misperceived those shivers, and suddenly Rukia found herself enveloped in warmth. He was… hugging her. Did she mind this? She attempted to moan again, distressed, but it became stuck as a noncommittal sound in her throat. Bits of a raspy voice made its way to her consciousness. Deciding to focus on it, she shifted slightly under his weight.

"I just wish…I've been there…I love you…"

Were these statements requesting responses? The last had stilled her movements, her thought, and even her breathing for a short period. Love, for her…for the feeling to be mutual she could not perceive. All his efforts to reclaim her love were in vain. Maybe they could continue as friends…perhaps, one day. But the relationship he desired was dreadfully unrealistic, and she refused to concede to his desires.

As time passed, she felt herself more aware of the surroundings and more able to think coherently. But instead of fighting against the man's position, she allowed him to remain in comfort. After all, he wouldn't have another chance. Not with her. And maybe never again with anyone.

* * *

There it was. _Finally._ Almost forty-five minutes of walking in what he hoped was the right direction, and he had finally made it to a Senkei gate. After everything that had happened that day, he was going happy to be in the human world with a cozy bed, even if he had an eccentric father to greet him a block from the door of his house.

"Ow!" Ichigo suddenly shouted, falling face first to the ground. "What the hell?" He rose from the ground, grunting and dusting himself off before noticing just what it was that he had tripped on. A miniature box about the size of his hands side by side lied on the ground, slate grey and fairly scratched. On closer inspection, he discovered it had a lens.

_My camera?_ he thought as he reached for it. _Why is my camera here? And why is it so scratched? _Though his scowl deepened, he couldn't help but be curious. If his missing camera wounded up in the Soul Society, there was no doubt some rather interesting new photos had been taken. That the camera still worked spared the teen some irritation, at the very least.

The first photo was of a bunch of the guys in the Shinigami Men's Association. Hisagi Shuuhei, Izuru Kira, and Tetsuzaemon Iba posed joyfully, mouths stilled in silent laughter as they held up cups of sake. Unfortunately, the picture had been zoomed out entirely too far, ruining the cheerful mood and thus the picture itself.

The second seemed to be, at first glance, zoomed in much too close. The object photographed did not look like anything in particular. Ichigo stared at it for a long minute in contemplation—before realizing the previous user of his camera had been quite close to someone's bosom. Matsumoto's perhaps, as she was the only woman he could think that would let anyone snap pictures. Ichigo paled slightly, not sure of what to do with it, so he skipped it.

The substitute shinigami's hands then fell weak, and it took some mental grasping to prevent him from dropping his precious camera. There were no faults with the image on the screen in this picture; the expressions of every party's face were clearly visible; the action could not be argued against. Indeed, Ichigo almost wished it wasn't so immaculate as it was quite creepy to look at. Not only that, but if it had been as faulted as the previous few, Renji and Unohana wouldn't be scheming so much as they were now.

His focus darted anxiously between a helpless Yachiru and a sugar-lustful Byakuya, rapidly replaying the details of the story he'd heard only a short time ago. Ichigo sighed. _Of all the cameras Renji could have stolen…And now I have to pay for damages? Oh, come on—_

The boy paused and, after a short while, grinned mischievously. Maybe that stupid art class Rukia made him take with her actually was good for something. After all, Photoshop did have its benefits.

* * *

**End of chapter five**

**~Twi**


	6. Of Memories

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

A/N: A special shout-out to **kaibasgirlx** for her excited, inspiring reviews. :D

**Chapter six: Of Memories

* * *

**

Unohana Retsu's office stood at the back of her division's first floor, placed distantly away from her many patients. The room was unique in that it sported a large glass window where the wall would normally be. As the evening twilight gave way to the moon and darkness drifted lazily onto the horizon of the Seireitei, Nanao couldn't help herself from gazing absentmindedly out of that window. A rather pristine view of Soukyoku Hill captured her attention almost serenely, and she ignored the captain's words as she was advised on how to care for herself in the coming days. There would be no listening to that woman anymore, even if the advice was for purely medical reasons.

"Now, you shouldn't have anything too spicy for another few days, but other than that you're fine," concluded the captain, nonchalantly flipping through a small folder of documents. She then handed it to Nanao, who faintly nodded in reply. Her mind, however, was elsewhere, reworking images of the two paths she knew led to the library, of the specific bookcase formation right in front of that camouflaged tan door…

"Well then, Ise-fukutaichou, good night!" A genuine smile graced her features. Nanao bowed, then turned to the office's exit.

"Oh, and fukutaichou?"

"Yes?"

The captain opened her mouth to say something, and for the briefest of moments, Nanao felt subdued by the overwhelming anxiety that she wouldn't be taking one more step. Yet the weight lifted when the captain swallowed whatever it was she was going to say and replaced it with a light hearted, "Take care."

The vice captain blinked and regained herself, unclenching the fists she had unconsciously tightened. "I will." The tension, however, was much too dense, and after the reply she didn't hesitate to take her leave.

Retsu watched all this, allowing for a few minutes to pass in thought and folding her arms as the smile slid off her face. Eyes narrowing, she finally left as well, flinging the door open and leaving an enraged reiatsu in her wake. Her subordinates gracefully stepped aside, bowing in respect, yet few of the roaming patients could even lean out of her path. Some of those that could, jumped, excited into quick, fretful cries in their eagerness to avoid the infuriated captain.

She ignored them all, hastily making her way to the staircase across the hall from her office. _If that foolish little girl thinks she can slip away evidence of my doings from right beneath my nose, she was surely mistaken. _Even as Retsu descended the stairs, she began focusing her reiatsu in preparation for a string of kidou spells if the situation called for them. Hopefully her mere presence would be enough to stop the girl from snatching up her kidnapped victim, but she couldn't be too sure. Shinigami were growing more and more daring these days, a fact she understood too well from the manner in which she herself had lately been treated.

She swung the door open—and met silence. Not something she was expecting from Ise Nanao if she hadn't thought of being followed. But maybe the girl had thought enough to predict such a circumstance—best then not to tread lightly. Best to not even tread at all; capturing the vice-captain quickly would ensure nothing else went out of order. As Retsu neared the door's location, she realized that it wasn't firmly pressed into the wall. It hung ajar, ever so faintly, increasing the captain's irritation.

"Bakudou no rokujyuichi…" she muttered, almost tip toeing to the door. She couldn't sense Ise in there, but that could be due to a variety of tricks. Retsu halted at the door frame, listened, and finally turned into the room. "Rikujou-"

She stopped, eyes darting for the target, but found none, save for a napping Renji next to a weakened Rukia, also asleep, on the far side of the room. Sighing, Retsu let down her guard, relinquishing her tense reiatsu from the six pointed star-bind she had almost executed. _So…perhaps the bookworm has more common sense than I expected. _The captain lowered her gaze. _But I felt her here earlier. She must know something! _Frowning, she walked over to Renji, who, to her chagrin, appeared to be rather comfortable snuggled against Rukia. She, however, seemed distressed, and her eyes fluttered and twitched about as if in a nightmare. Retsu silently scanned the girl over, then sighed, choosing to gently remove her from Renji's grasp before she woke him up.

She tightly pinched the skin of his neck in two places, and he instantly snapped upright, arms briefly flailing and eyes blinking in rapid succession. His frantic glances finally settled on the captain, and he relaxed, although her mere presence quickly wound anxiety back into his nerves. Stretching and yawning loudly, he swung his legs around the small cot, not meant at all for two people, and prepared to stand when Rukia's fretful fidgeting caught his attention. Renji leaned in for a light kiss on her forehead, almost forgetting about the captain until she dramatically cleared her throat.

"If you desire beauty rest, please do so in your own accommodations."

The red head glared at her, but said nothing, perhaps because his mind was still partially lost in the haze of sleep. Sighing, he settled to tenderly run his fingers through her hair, an action that seemed only to increase her uneasiness.

"What," he began, voice hoarse as he continued to gaze at Rukia, "are you going to do with her now?"

She crossed the room, standing by the metal door to listen for potential passersby. "That is none of your concern."

Renji's head snapped so rapidly in her direction that Retsu was almost sure he'd dislodged something. "What do you mean 'none of my concern'? Rukia is the core of this entire operation!"

"You're wrong," she proposed casually, eyes briefly catching his before idly turning back to the door. "Controlling Byakuya-sama is how we found ourselves in the situation to begin with, isn't it?" Her voice was austere, a tone usually reserved her subordinates when they did not perform their expected duties. It was the type of intonation that managed to keep them in place but caused them to spread stories to others of her severity. It was the stories that made them fear her gentle façade.

Renji, however, was not one to back down from the challenge that was intimidation. Sucking his teeth, he finally stood up, glaring all the while. He waited briefly for her to continue, and when she didn't, remarked, "And who was it that put your _dear_ _Byakuya-sama_ in a position to obey my command to begin with?"

Retsu narrowed her eyes; he was accepting the challenge head on and without the slightest hint of fear. Arrogant fool. "Renji, correct me if I'm wrong—perhaps my age has caused my memory to falter," she smirked then, enough for the man to identify her sarcasm. "But I believe we had been conspiring to achieve such control more than a week before an opportunity showed itself, hadn't we?"

He grunted, turning away from the woman and staring at the slate gray wall Rukia rested against. Retsu was right, of course; she had noted long ago Renji's rather obvious wish to command the elder Kuchiki around and offered to help him do so. She had superficially promised to help him gain Byakuya's approval "through trust or by force", and because of his utter desperation, he'd agreed without a second's hesitation. Little did he know then, however, how much she was in it for herself.

"Would you have had the nerve to blackmail your own captain had I not persuaded you?" she continued, maintaining a nonchalant, yet strict-lined tone. 'You still fear him, in many underlying ways, no matter how much you deny it. But without my support, my advice, _my _worthwhile information—could you have come so far on your own?" She paused, finally choosing to catch his gaze, although he was still focused on Rukia, to Retsu's chagrin.

"Of course I would-"

"_I'm the one who told you of his chocolate weakness to begin with!_" she suddenly thundered, eyes wide with the flare of previously latent emotion. "_I'm the one who baked those cookies to lure him in!_" The command of her voice and the spike of her reiatsu involuntarily brought Renji to meet her wild gaze. He blinked unexpectantly, then smirked with realization.

"…because you were too much afraid to out step your comfort zone and 'lure him in' yourself." Her eyes widened slowly at the comment, dropped in so coolly that she couldn't respond. Her teeth grit tightly against themselves, as if she were grinding them away. Renji couldn't help but think the mad expression on her face resembled some of the patients in her very own division. There was a long silence as she shivered in rage. Renji chose to ignore her, gladly noting that despite their raised voices, Rukia seemed to be calmer.

A wild, inconsistent drawl brought his attention back to Retsu, however. She was smiling, shoulders rising and slumping as her eccentric laugh grew in speed and pitch. "You thought," she began, unable to control her chuckling, "that I was scared?"

The idea that his reasoning was wrong, coupled with her laughter, had an adverse effect on Renji, who found himself gulping and backing slowly into the depths of the unlit room. His focus trained on her as she left her post next to the door, slowly approaching him.

"Stupidity reigns in the Soul Society, I see." The laughing immediately ceased. "Don't you realize, Renji? You have been a pawn thus far—a useful, naïve, yet arrogant little puppet. And as of this moment, you've outlasted your worth."

Renji's eyes widened, an unidentifiable choking sound escaping his throat. _Outlasted his worth?_ She had been _using _him? The red head felt his muscles tense, and rage expressed on his features. "Th-the _hell_?" he sputtered, hating to comprehend the situation, yet cursing himself for not realizing it sooner. She had been the one who approached him after that argument with Byakuya weeks ago, and proposed the idea to control him in the first place. She had been the one who bolstered his confidence and subsequently his ego with countless promises, each of which, he now realized, had slowly degenerated into only the things _she_ wanted. She had been the one who acted passively in the background, making him think it was _he _who masterminded the entire scheme. She had been the one to think of holding Rukia hostage, and now, because of his blind support, she was the one who held all the cards.

_Well, nearly all of them_, he thought, instinctively looking at Rukia but thinking of her brother. _As long as I have the picture…_Suddenly, he sucked his teeth, clenching both fists. _But what's a picture to Rukia's life? If it came to maintaining her well-being, he'd choose it over his own status!_

Retsu bathed warmly in the satisfaction of his shock. The boy's inability to reply suggested that at last, he understood both their roles in everything that had happened in the past week and a half. For years she had wanted Byakuya. And for months had she been planning methods to have him for herself. It was quite some time before she remembered his fit of insanity as a child that drove him on a chocolate-hungry rampage throughout the Soul Society. The incident, involving many bitten shinigami, a frantic Yoruichi, and her own desperate intervention, had left the young Byakuya so traumatized he'd forgotten the event entirely.

But that didn't put an end to his sugar susceptibility in the slightest.

Deciding to put Byakuya's weakness to good use, she had found the snake to do her bidding not too long after her memories of the incident, and he assisted rather willingly. She had, unfortunately, been seen involved in the grand scheme far more than she wished, but in the end, Abarai Renji had done all the ground work. Now all that was left was to enjoy the fruits of his labor and cast him off with little more than a swish of her hands.

He was near her. Much too close, in fact. One of his clenched fists in particular was rising, rising—

She drew Minazuki and quickly rested it at the base of his neck. He froze, staring at the zanpakutou in awe, then glared at its wielder.

"The picture, Renji." It was most certainly a demand. But that was his last trump card, no matter what little usage it had left.

"And killing me would help you how?" Retsu laughed once more, mimicking the peculiar sound he'd heard earlier. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"I don't have to kill anybody," she replied, almost too casually. "I just have to do enough to completely immobilize them. Suspicions would arouse if Yoruichi were found in a bed here, but you? Oh you…you are nothing to worry about once restrained in a bed on the far side of the division." Her grip subsequently tightened on the blade. "At least complying will spare you the pain."

Spare him what pain? He'd suffered enough! What with Byakuya's haughtiness, Ichigo and Rukia's love affair, and now Retsu's using him…the emotional pain had done much more than he could stand at the moment. Physical couldn't add on too much.

Like Byakuya, however, he realized he wouldn't be able to stand for it if Rukia were hurt. And while Renji didn't care about what happened to himself, he knew Retsu would continue on to Rukia until he gave in to her wishes. And with her asleep and possibly still unconscious, there were a vast number of things she could do with wrongly prescribed medicine that Renji found at the very least, frightening. He simply couldn't get her involved.

And Retsu was growing impatient.

He reached into his _hakama_, albeit tentatively, and pulled out the flimsy image. Snatching it out of his hand, she retreated, and the smile she graced him with aroused such anger that she laughed again, despite herself. Renji could not help but allow his emotions to seep into his reiatsu. He turned to Rukia longingly, who despite everything, still seemed to sleep peacefully, and he growled. Only hours ago he'd realized that he had to pin Retsu in a position so this very outcome could not come to pass, and yet here he was, checkmated. He'd nothing to even show for himself.

Should he take revenge and tell Ichigo and the others everything he knew? That would mean turning himself in, of course, but at least she wouldn't win. But no, Retsu…she was the kind of person who would expect that. And he wasn't ready to give up. Not yet. He still had one more trick up his sleeve. And even if that woman knew about it, she could do nothing to use it to her advantage—nor could she stop it.

"Your cooperation has been very much appreciated, Abarai Renji," the captain began in a drippy, saccharine voice that made the red head want to gag. "Now if you would please take your leave."

He glared at her. Every ounce of hatred he felt he poured into his eyes; whether it affected her or not, he wanted her to know how much he was loath to defeat. This would not be the last time she saw those eyes; the next time, however, they would mock her with triumph.

The heavy metal door slammed shut, and the room filled with darkness. Retsu, having memorized the room's layout, walked to the very middle, where a lab table stood devoid of everything but a sink and lamp, and turned on the latter. Blue ultraviolet illuminated the countertop, and the woman grabbed the stem of the lamp, shining the bright light onto Rukia's still figure.

"Open your eyes, Kuchiki. I know you're awake." At first, the figure did not move, save for breathing that seemed to grow more defined at the mention of the name. Retsu thought of moving her herself, but then Rukia stirred, slowly sitting up, but keeping her attention transfixed on the wall. The ache of bed stiffness made itself known to her limbs as she stretched, and although she had more than enough energy now to stand, she refrained from doing do. Her memories had mostly returned in the form of fitful, out-of-sequence nightmares, but they had returned no less. What had startled her, however, was not her present condition, but the conversation she'd woken up in the middle of.

Renji was guilty, but Unohana Retsu was purely _wicked_.

"How…could you?" her voice trembled, having to work again for the first time in six hours. "You and Renji…you…you—Why go through all this trouble to control Nii-sama?"

Retsu chuckled. "Because Renji wanted you. And I love Byakuya-sama, more than your expendable older sister ever could." She chuckled again, realizing Rukia didn't understand. "He would never agree to have you betrothed to Renji, not unless you wanted the same, and he knew you did not. And as for me, well…The man is still too hardened by _her_ death to understand that there are more worthwhile fish in the sea." She turned off the lamp and made her way for the exit of the room. Rukia wanted to stand, but the ache in her legs screamed otherwise, and she remained bound to the bed.

"I will _not _let you get away with this!"

The dark haired captain stopped at the door, her palm frozen on the slender metal handle. "But you see, Rukia-chan," her eyes melted into a sinister expression that only the silver door could see. "I already have."

And Rukia could only gulp despite herself, Unohana Retsu's incessant laughing filling the room to accompany its oppressive darkness.

* * *

A full moon hung idly in the sky like a lone picture on the wall. Besides a few lingering clouds, the sky was clear, casting the illusion of tranquility over the Soul Society. Yet Nanao could not get lost in a peaceful daydream, although the slow lowering of her eyes suggested otherwise. Stalking someone, and a captain, no less, without getting caught was nothing short of meticulous and subsequently exhausting. Recovering from an almost week long stomach flu didn't aid the activity much, either. But uncovering Unohana-taichou's mission had become top priority for the remainder of her time there, even if it had only been a few hours until her release.

Nanao sighed, shoulders slumping as she leaned over the railing of a balcony on her division's third floor. At only ten o'clock, it was still working hours, at least for the captains, and yet hers was nowhere to be found. As to be expected, though, as Shunsui always shirked his duties at night for some last minute-planned sake party. Normally, Nanao wouldn't mind the absence of the inebriated fool, as the lack of disturbances made reading once again pleasurable. But now was a different story. Now was when she needed to tell him what was going on before Unohana Retsu got whatever she was after—or worse.

Before she could think of said worse-case scenarios, the hairs of her neck stood on end. A soft meow startled her, and she turned around to the small form of a black cat balancing carefully on the railing only a few feet farther from her. Upon the recognition of its presence, the cat smirked, or seemed to, and quickly jumped to Nanao's feet. Nanao blinked in awe, frozen to her spot, before hesitantly calling, "Shihouin…Yoruichi?"

"Ohoho!" the cat suddenly exclaimed. "I'm surprised you know of me in this form!" She circled around Nanao's ankles three times, then smiled awkwardly once more, as only a cat could do. "Are you well?"

Nanao's expression darkened, and she ignored the question completely. "How can you laugh after what's just happened? Something must be done!"

Yoruichi jumped on top of the crate beside the vice captain, walking in circles again before finally opting to sit. "I know. That's why I came to talk to you. I sensed you're reiatsu in the library earlier. I've little doubt that Retsu and Byakuya did as well."

The cat received no reply. Nanao tensed, the same apprehensiveness she felt in Unohana's office creeping back into her nerves. Why this feeling plagued her she didn't know; she wasn't afraid of the captain like many others were, perhaps because she only noticed Unohana's kind façade and not the bitterness that lied beneath. But then, Nanao realized, it might be because she finally recognized such ill will that her fear was created in the first place.

"We can't act yet," Yoruichi continued, momentarily gazing at the stars. "If Unohana suspects you to know more than you should, then she will be soon looking for a way to quiet any of our accusations if she hasn't started looking already. And so far, she and Renji have been getting everything they've wanted by controlling Byakuya. Unohana wouldn't be foolish enough to pit him and I against each other, but you…she may try to use him to silence you and abstain from further dirtying her own hands."

"But I don't understand," said Nanao, panic and dangerous curiosity rising as an unpleasant mixture in her throat. "How have they even managed to do control him? Why has Rukia been kidnapped? What does Renji have to-" She cut herself off on account of cat's startling jump to the ground.

"I cannot allow you to know right now."

"But-"

"There are things, Ise, which simply must be kept secret at the moment." The vice-captain groaned despite herself, turning in frustration to stare back into the sky. She had a captain with a disposition like poisoned honey on her tail and she wasn't even allowed to know why? Sure, she knew Unohana-taichou wanted Kuchiki-taichou for some reason or another, and that Rukia had been kidnapped, and that Renji played a part of it all, but nothing else. Few people in Seireitei, however, would believe these facts if she couldn't provide a motive. Not if it was Unohana Retsu who was under suspicion.

Yoruichi interrupted her thoughts with a loud yawn, and Nanao cast a look of irritation in her direction, more annoyed with her resistance to spill details than just her presence. "That being said, you shouldn't tell anyone of what you've seen today. As it is, I'm glad I got to you before you found Shunsui."

"Not tell anyone?" Nanao exclaimed. "Kuchiki Rukia has been kidnapped, her brother incapacitated, and you don't want that as public knowledge?"

"And make her come for us faster? No, no I do not. And on another note, if someone was stupid enough to go searching for more information, successfully casting Unohana in a guilty light—well, with Aizen's war fast approaching, we cannot afford to have another captain completely out of service, especially not our best healer."

"So she's going to get away with everything because of Soul Society's necessities?"

The cat appeared to narrow its gaze. "And Unohana knows it. But this is what I'm trying to prevent." Nanao sighed, and Yoruichi added, "Anything I try may be rendered useless, however, if you decide to do more snooping."

Nanao gave Yoruichi an astonished look. She hadn't the slightest idea how the woman knew what she had been up to, although all her efforts had proved worthless in uncovering anything more than what she already knew. But realizing Yoruichi continued to study her for a reply, her shoulders slumped in apparent defeat. Perhaps she would say nothing, but this was not a situation she could just leave alone.

"Fine," she agreed, voice distant. Yoruichi continued to stare for a few pensive moments of her own, then pulled her eyes away, starting to leave.

"May I just ask—what is that you are planning to do?"

The cat stopped, unable to suppress a smirk. "I can't answer that either, unfortunately. It's something you have to see to believe."

* * *

Really, one of these days, he was going to walk into the house, shout 'Tadaima' like people did in _normal_ families, and enjoy a nice cup orange juice like he always did when he felt relaxed.

Yes, one of these days.

Until then, he would have to suffice with defending a badly positioned kick from his father in an absurdly too small chicken suit. Or a Chappy the Bunny suit. Or _hell_, maybe even his birthday suit. Ichigo would have shuddered at the thought if he hadn't been fuming, left eye twitching in irritation as his father, more lively than before his son had entered, jumped up as if nothing had happened. He laughed heartily, hands on his hips.

"It's called love, son—gahh!"

His sisters watched, not at all surprised, when Ichigo retaliated, punching Isshin hard enough to send him crashing into—and breaking—the kitchen table. At that point, Karin sighed, taking a warm mug of hot chocolate to her bedroom, while Yuzu ran to her father's aid.

"Th-That's my son!" he said, dazed, as a worried Yuzu helped him to stand. Rolling his eyes, Ichigo made his way to his own room, ignoring the praise his delusional father began spurting. Once there, he locked the door, leaned against it, and slid to the floor, clenching his fists and shivering. He pounded a fist on the floor, holding back tears and tightly gritting his teeth.

He'd been an idiot. How could he have let Yoruichi sway him so easily? Leave her there? _There?_ With _Renji?_ Images hot-ironed in his mind of him and Rukia; her, chained to a bed and screaming, him, smiling lecherously—_no!_ No…he had to stop thinking like that. Yoruichi was right, after all. Going back without a plan would mess up everything. But still, Rukia…

He slammed a fist into the floor again, frustration increasing at an exponential rate. His idea was his last chance. Yoruichi said they would plan something together, but quite honestly, what else could they do in a situation as impossible as that? No, this would _have_ to work. He would con Renji out of all he had with the counter-picture, Unohana Retsu would stop working with him as a result, and everything would be back to the way it was. Hopefully. Ichigo couldn't help but have qualms about his plan. He couldn't understand what could go wrong, but yet, what if something had dramatically changed the course of things in the last few hours? What if…no! He had to be optimistic. For Rukia's sake.

Hardening his resolve, he stood up to turn his computer on. If he could just find a picture of Renji where the angle was similar to Byakuya's…At that moment, Ichigo couldn't help but turn on his camera and gaze at said captain's naughty little picture. Had a simple addiction really driven the stoic man so far? Something about his actions seemed so…juvenile, and horribly obsessive. Yet Ichigo ignored contemplating the scene further—it might take him quite some time to accurately edit the picture, let alone find one he could snatch Renji from. Sighing, he placed his elbows on his desk and massaged his temples. So much to do, so little time…

The picture editing program loaded, and Ichigo hurriedly connected the camera to his computer. _Now…where is that pen tablet? _Thinking it might be in the small, white container that lay by the door, he stood—only to be powerfully thrown into his window. Ichigo remained in the window's impact indent, blinking awkwardly, as he hadn't been thrown hard enough for it to crack completely. But the culprit had no sooner made himself known, prancing around the room victoriously in a three sizes too small candy valentine costume.

"Ahahahaha!" exclaimed Isshin, jumping with excitement. "That's 1,194 for me, 1,193 for you! Ahahahaha!"

The orange-haired teen, still frozen against the glass (and wary to move lest it cracked and he lost his balance and fell through), grit his teeth so tightly that he was sure they were chipping. A vicious growl began to rise from his throat, yet Isshin paid no attention, continuing to dance around the room until he caught sight of the computer screen. Yuzu and Karin, who decided to find their father after hearing a loud crash, turned their attention to it as well, as anything that left him both dumbfounded and petrified was surely something to see.

Yuzu gasped, clasping her hands to cover her mouth. Karin could not stop her eye from twitching. And Isshin just looked plain scared. Ichigo's eyes traveled from their stunned expressions to his computer screen and he groaned in reply. The picture that had automatically loaded was the last one taken—the image with Byakuya. But before Ichigo could say anything, his father snapped out of his daze, whirled around, and, pointing an accusatory finger in Ichigo's direction, shouted, "MY SON'S A CLASS A PEDOPHILE!"

Yuzu and Karin blinked, exchanged glances, and blinked again. Ichigo just stared, mouth slightly ajar. That certainly wasn't the conclusion he was expecting.

Isshin collapsed to the floor dramatically, bawling all the while. "My son! My only son! _Why?"_

The teen lurched forward instinctively. "I AM _NOT _A—"

A loud snap stopped him mid sentence. Then there was a burst as the glass behind him gave way, and a rush of air graced Ichigo's back. He flailed instinctively, watching his room grown father away until—

_Crash._ Ichigo landed hard on the sidewalk. Snapping his eyes shut in pain, he attempted to sit up, gently moving an arm, a foot. _Great. Well at least nothing's bro—_

At that moment both Yuzu and Isshin burst out of the house, hysterical, the latter pouncing on top of his son before the he could make complete sense of his surroundings. Karin trailed behind absentmindedly.

"ICHIGO!" his father exclaimed with a wild joy that made Ichigo want to run away from him as far as possible. "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Well of course he was. It was only the second floor, _damnit._

"YOU'RE ALIVE, YOU'RE REALLY—OOOFF!"

Just because his head had taken a serious blow didn't mean his legs weren't fully functional—and able to kick the idiot half way down the street. Ichigo sighed, Yuzu finally choosing to help _him_ instead.

Fathers, really. What a pain_.

* * *

_

"_Renji!" She laughed, squirming about but not particularly attempting to avoid him. "Renji, cut that out!"_

_He didn't, her joyous smile too pleasing to the eye to obey the command. His hands twitched slightly above her hips, and when she twisted awkwardly, they shot straight up to her armpits. She laughed all the while, though in constant search for an escape. Finally, he released her, and she jumped five feet away. He made a quick step towards her, as if about to pounce again, in an effort to scare her. It worked, and she fell backwards in nervous fright. A short silence passed, followed by their laughter._

"_Renji," she chastised. "I told you to stop tickling me."_

_He extended a hand to help her up. "C'mon, Rukia, it's one of the best things about you! So few people in the Seireitei are ticklish nowadays."_

_She frowned, trusting him enough for help but remaining wary of his hands. "Doesn't mean I like it," she pouted. _

_Renji smirked, wrapping his arms around her in a protective fashion. "But I do."_

_She smiled as he kissed her cheek, relaxing in his embrace. Wind ruffling their hakama, she closed her eyes, melting into the peace of the day and the seeming stillness of time. It was just the two of them in the field in the outskirts of Seireitei. Few shinigami patrolled there, and the solitary area provided a comfort unattainable in the severe work pace of inner Seireitei. _

_The twilight of sunset cast an almost dissipated shadow on the two as the sun sunk into slumber. As they stood in silence, Rukia listened attentively to Renji's heart beat, a calm, rhythmic sound that soothed her enough to fall asleep in his arms-powerful, muscular arms that could protect her from any danger that came her way. Of course, she knew herself as not one that ever needed that kind of assistance, but he was still there for her, always understanding, always loving._

"_Rukia," he called, giving her a small shake. Reluctantly, she pried her eyes open._

"_Hmm?"_

"_C'mon, I still have to take you to Ji-san's." That's right—he had brought her to the outskirts to find Ji-san's new shop. Ji-san…she missed him. He wasn't their real grandfather, but she loved him anyway. While he wasn't able to directly care for after Rukia, Renji, and their friends, he would always lead them in the right direction to aid their survival. If not for him, Rukia was sure she would have died on several occasions for the lack of some necessity Ji-san had managed to provide for them. After she had come to the Seireitei, however, she hadn't seen him, and always wondered what became of the poor man until now. Renji had heard he had opened a small shop in the ninth district of the Rukongai—a significant step up from where he had lived before in the seventy-eighth—and Rukia couldn't wait to see him again, along with his wares. But then, that day had been tiring, and truthfully, she wanted to rest. _

"_I know, but can't we go later? I'm tired…"_

"_Oh, Rukia, you always say that! I know the academy can be exhausting, but-" Suddenly, she felt her feet lift off the ground. She gaped at Renji as he picked up bridal style. "—I really wanna go!"_

_Rukia couldn't help but smile and laugh as she feigned resistance, squirming around but wrapping her arms around his neck. He beamed back at her, planting another kiss on her cheek as they strode off together._

An onslaught of violent shivers brought Rukia from an already restless slumber. Wincing in pain, she abandoned the effort to stretch and merely sat upright. _That's right, _she thought hazily, looking around and barely identifying few of the objects that surrounded her. _I'm in Unohana-taichou's division…captured._

At this she felt herself flinch in irritation, or perhaps the reluctance to believe her current predicament. Captured…helpless… Rukia wavered, almost collapsing back onto the cot before her arms shot out at the wall for balance. The sudden shock to sore limbs, however, was not welcome, and she yelped afterwards. Eyes watering, she allowed the pain to subside before resituating herself into a semi-comfortable position.

_Unohana-taichou—no, she doesn't deserve that title anymore, _Rukia thought, the woman's eerie cackle suddenly very audible in her head. _How could she kidnap me like this, manipulate Renji—all for Nii-sama? For _him?_ Certainly she realizes he wouldn't agree even if forced to, that he would find a way out of it, that he would…_She paused, thinking with an almost manic laugh of her own that died into a wild hiccup. _…save me._

It was strange thinking about her brother saving her, him having been the very one who denied her her freedom almost a year before. It was strange to think of being saved at all; she always felt she could manage herself well enough to avoid being the damsel in distress, and perhaps she still could. It was painful to think of Ichigo rescuing her as he had before, painful because he was not here now and yet she knew he wouldn't stand for her captured, either. But how could she have expected to be kidnapped by the Seireitei's best actor? Aizen notwithstanding, at least.

Feeling herself waver again, she quickly used the wall as her back's support. Her muscles were unnaturally sore, and if she remembered her experiences of the past twenty-four hours correctly, she hadn't been involved in anything so strenuous to cause a full body ache. _But then, what was—_

The metal door creaked open and sunlight leaked in from the library's tiny windows, and it was only then that Rukia realized it was morning, or at least some point of daylight. The light, though dim, caused her to turn away from the doorway in protection; long hours of pure darkness made even glancing blinding. But as it was, when Rukia cautioned to open her eyes once again, the entire chamber was flooded with light from a few long, fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling. Wincing, she peered around slowly. The room seemed as big as two captain's offices, but resembled more of a laboratory—perhaps even a testing center, such as those Kurotsuchi used so frequently. Yet the faucets were rusting; some of the test tubes lay shattered on the various counters. The off white paint peeled and chipped in many places, and even the light bulbs blinked on occasion, in danger of dying out.

The smell of food shifted her focus instantly, the loud clatter of a tray against an iron counter bringing her attention back to the doorway. Feet away, Retsu organized the dishes for a more presentable appearance, and then, turning to Rukia, smiled gently and greeted, "Good morning, Kuchiki Rukia, dear."

She didn't return the affection.

Keeping her eyes on the captain, Rukia sat upright, although withdrawing from her tolerable slumping brought back her muscle ache considerably. Retsu placed the tray on the younger's lap, then cupped her face in one hand. "My, my, Rukia, you seem rather pale, don't you think? Please eat; Byakuya-sama would not have you in such a state."

Retsu withdrew, and Rukia shivered. If not for the incessant pain, she would have surely smacked her hand away. Her stomach growled loudly, and Rukia glared back at Retsu's brief yet smug expression.

"Don't think I don't know he will try to free you," Retsu began coolly, the former cheeriness of her voice gone. "But you needn't worry about that. You won't have to be in here much longer anyway, because he will succumb."

"To what?" Rukia blurted despite herself. She was not interested in holding a conversation, on this of all topics, with Retsu, but even she could not understand the reason behind the woman's overconfidence. Could she have a way to deal with Byakuya, Ichigo, and (now she was sure of it, after last night) Renji's coming revenge? All three were worrying about her, and all of them were looking for a way to get her back. And as a specialized healer, Unohana Retsu was, of all captains, the least qualified to succeed in a battle against _all_ of them at once.

Retsu chuckled. "To my will, of course," she replied lightly, as if there weren't anything more obvious. "I have _you_, Rukia, you and the picture, and Byakuya-sama is still in my care. When I release him today…" Retsu suddenly leaned in, almost kissing the other's ear. "…he _will_ stop your friends' little rebellion. Particularly," she was near whispering now, "if he wants not a hair on your darling head harmed."

Rukia stiffened. So that's what she was, then. A bargaining chip. Unohana Retsu's stupid little play thing. She hated this, this helplessness, the anxiety that accompanied it. If only she could move, could find her zanpakutou, could _fight back…_

The captain seemed to read her thoughts. "If I were you, I would worry less about my freedom and more about not passing out again. After all, you consistently seem to miss important details of this engagement every time you do. Wouldn't want to miss anymore, would you? There's nothing more vital to life than information, after all." She gestured to the untouched breakfast still warm in Rukia's lap. "Eat, and start thinking of me as your beloved sister-in-law." She smiled at this, choosing this time to avoid Rukia's gaze, and left.

The raven haired shinigami stared absently at her plate, poking it with her chopsticks. Had it really come to this? Would there really be no way to prevent her brother from marrying her? She broke off a small piece of _nori _with her hands and bit it, but found herself unable to stop the beginning of tears from sliding down her face.

In an instant, she rapidly blinked them back, clutching her wooden chopsticks so tightly that they soon snapped under the pressure. Placing the food on the cot, she took a deep breath. Her hands spread out and she pushed off from it the best she could. She bit her lips to ignore the pain, which made her want to stop, but she did not, instead continuing to rise until she stood hunched over the cot, its support now unnecessary. With eyes focused on the door, she took another deep breath.

Kuchiki Rukia did not play the role of damsel in distress, after all.

* * *

Matsumoto might have said otherwise, but he was certainly _not_ enjoying this.

Thankfully, Hinamori had much returned to her joyous, bouncy (if not sometimes whiny) self, and while it was true he much preferred her this way than the revengeful creature that lay not far beneath the surface, it didn't mean her methods for…attention would ever grow on him.

"But _please, _Shirou-chan?" she pleaded, and eyes wide and on the verge of tears. "_Please, please, please?_"

"I have to work Hinamori, and so do you. And for the final time, can you call me Hitsugaya-"

"But Shirou-chan, they'll go stale soon, I'm sure of it! You've got to try them now!" Under her droning, Hitsugaya heaved a sigh.

"Can't you bring them to me during my lunch break?"

The girl shook her head frantically. "Unohana-taichou might have thrown them out by then! That is, if she hasn't already…oh, it'll be quick, I promise!" Hitsugaya heaved a sigh. Matsumoto was rarely on time, and how bad would it look for the division if they both arrived late? Then again, Hinamori had virtually become a leech on his arm, and there was little chance he'd sway her with a 'no'.

"Fine," he muttered, and she beamed in reply. "But you promised me a quick trip, remember that!" He had to yell at that point, because no sooner had he agreed had she clutched his wrist a little too tightly and dragged him in the direction of the Fourth Division.

They raced through the streets, naturally clustered with shinigami shuffling to their various divisions. Hitsugaya struggled to keep from tripping over himself as Hinamori continued to pull him. She weaved in and out of crowds like a mouse in a maze, and he, shouldering defeat, gave up his pleas for her to slow down. He found himself thinking loosely of Unohana's warning before the party had occurred. Was Hinamori still intent on revenge, even after his apologies? Or had the party been enough for them to reconcile? He thought of asking her about it, but then changed his mind. If she still wanted her just desserts, she wouldn't admit it to him at all. And besides, the girl always wore her emotions on her sleeve; from how she was acting, he needn't worry about any acts of vengeance. Hopefully.

Hinamori finally came to a halt in front of the Fourth Division's main entrance, catching her breath. Hitsugaya examined the red ring around his wrist irritably, following her inside. The division was, for the first time in a week, void of the smell of freshly baked cookies, instantly piquing the captain's curiosity. After all, everyone had raved about those cookies, though he hadn't the opportunity to try them for himself. Yet if they had been so popular, why had they suddenly disappeared? And why then, Hitsugaya realized as he proceeded through the offices, was Unohana making such a hastened effort to get rid of them?

"Isane, good morning!" Hinamori's energetic squeak brought Hitsugaya out of his musings. Kotetsu Isane stood in a nearby doorway, deeply absorbed in the contents of papers she carried on a clipboard. A second call of her name, and she finally glanced up.

"Oh, Hinamori, good morning!" Her gaze fell on the captain, and she bowed. Hitsugaya nodded his greeting. Eager to get to his own division, he decided to skip the small talk.

"Is Unohana in her office at the moment? We…need to speak with her." Although, he couldn't help but think, begging for sugar was hardly a substitute for conversation.

She faltered. "I don't think so. But I can give her a message if-"

"No, no it's urgent! We have to see her now!" Hinamori exclaimed. Hitsugaya stared at her in surprise.

"Hinamori, please, it really isn't that-"

"It's okay," Isane interjected, smiling lightly. "I'll send a Hell Butterfly, requesting her presence. You can wait by her office." Hinamori beamed. "But Hitsugaya-taichou, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with you first."

Hinamori frowned.

"But we—"

"Hinamori," said Hitsugaya in a voice that was both commanding and composed. "I will be there soon. Go." She pouted, giving Isane a rather annoyed look, then skipped off in the direction of Unohana's office. Hitsugaya turned back to Isane, almost surprised when her saw her expression had shifted.

"I have to warn you," she began, tone quiet and shaky, "about Unohana-taichou." The surprise must have shown on his face as incredulity, as she quickly continued. "Something about her is off. She's been more aggressive than usual. I often sense it in her reiatsu." Isane gazed down at the floor boards. "Nothing has ever caused a disruption in it before you see, and besides that, she has been absent for long periods at a time—well she had been, up until recently, at least. She insists everything is fine, but…if it's bad news you are bringing, be well prepared for her reaction."

"Of course," he replied. She looked a tad more hopeful, bowed, and departed quickly, not waiting for him to continue. There was nothing to worry about then, because he hardly came here to relay heavy casualties. But as he head in the opposite direction towards the woman's office, his curiosity only deepened. _So…something's got Unohana worried, so much so that she halts the baking project and keeps her subordinates at bay? What could have possibly—_

"Do you think I care?_ After what you did?_" Hitsugaya froze. That was Hinamori's voice right around the corner. He began to approach when a second voice interrupted.

"You don't care how I feel, and yet after all this time, you still want me to apologize?" He snickered. "The _irony_. Gimme one good reason why I should, and let me meditate on it for a few hundred years." A much deeper tone, and much calmer in comparison with Hinamori's. But what was Renji doing here now?

Brief silence followed, in which the captain could only hear quickly paced breathing. And then—

"_Go to hell, you spineless cheat._"

"Oi, what's going on here?" Hitsugaya emerged, concern and confusion etched quite visibly on his face. Hinamori perked up, eagerly galloping to his side and taking up his arm rather dramatically before glaring into the vice-captain's eyes.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. Present company was just leaving."

Renji replied with an aggravated wince. "Excuse me," he added, shuffling by without gracing Hitsugaya with so much as a glance. He rounded on her once Renji was well out of ear shot.

"What were you-"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped in reply, glaring in the direction of Renji's departure. "It's nothing important. Just forget about it."

Releasing himself from Hinamori's grip, he then crossed the hall to Unohana's office feet away, bringing the girl's gaze with him. "And yet somehow, I can't help but think this won't be the last time I'll see the two of you arguing."

An most childish scowl captured her features. "What does it matter to you? I told you it doesn't mean anything. And I can handle my own problems."

"But that's just it, isn't it?" Hitsugaya replied, his tone suddenly aloof as he understood his words only after he uttered them. "It's a problem. And more importantly, it's your problem." He cast a sideways glance. "I believe I have the right to know what's going on, Hinamori. As your friend." A short pause passed between them and he heard her shift nervously.

The girl stared and blushed lightly, switching her attention to the floor. "Well, maybe…I guess…"

A door at the near end of the hall squeaked open, bringing their attention to an absentminded Unohana in the doorway who hadn't noticed their presence until she was halfway towards her office. "Ah, Hinamori-chan! Hitsugaya-kun! Good morning!"

Hitsugaya stiffened, but did not reply. _Familiar suffixes?_

"Unohana-taichou!" Hinamori exclaimed, and instead of bowing as was custom, she ran up to the woman and hugged her. Retsu returned the affection with a smile. One might have thought they were long lost friends, and Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"And to what do I owe this meeting?" She glanced curiously between the two of them, the smile on her lips reflected in her eyes. Hitsugaya remained silent, suddenly pinpointing just what it was that was making him uncomfortable.

Unohana Retsu was _never_ this joyful.

Considerate, yes. Kind, warm – but not _elated._ Perhaps the personality shift wasn't aggressive anger as Isane had suggested, but oppressive excitement. But was that even possible?

"…so I was hoping so much that you would still have some! At least for Shirou-chan…" The nickname made Hitsugaya wince, but only then did he realize Hinamori had taken the mantle of continuing the conversation without him. He noticed Retsu's shoulders slump and wondered whether or not she was feigning regret.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori-chan…You know the workload has been steadily increasing lately, and perhaps Yamamoto-soutaichou is being lenient on those divisions which have suffered a…a loss recently, but I can't maintain the baking practice. Not now, at least. Maybe we can start again once things have calmed down?"

But Hinamori appeared crestfallen. The hopeful gleam in her eyes had disappeared with Retsu's first words. "Well then, I guess you can leave now. There's nothing here for you."

Hitsugaya blinked, then nodded in agreement, realizing she was addressing him. But it wasn't the lack of acknowledgement on her part that was keeping him grounded. Retsu's cheerfulness was an attention grabber, of sorts.

"Right," he said, finally nodding at Retsu, albeit warily. "I'll be going then."

"I should be, too," Hinamori realized, suddenly perking up. "Ahh – I have a meeting with my fifth seat in fifteen minutes!" She started after Hitsugaya, who, in his haste, had already made it halfway down the hall, but Retsu called her back.

"But Unohana-taichou, I really need to go!"

"It won't be long, really. Just a quick word, I promise." The girl closed her mouth in defeat, slinking back toward the raven-haired woman.

"I'm glad to see you and Hitsugaya-kun have reconciled," the captain began. Hinamori blushed and pouted. _Ever attempting to embody innocence, that one._ Retsu held back a smirk.

"What's wrong, dear? Surely this is what you wanted? Or was your desire for revenge more important to your peace of mind?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, fists clenched, pout having quickly degenerated into a grimace. "That's not what I…" Her voice trailed off. _Could she be confused? Doubtful, even?_

"And yet you tried so enthusiastically-"

"And then I changed my mind! Unohana-taichou, I realize I was wrong, if that's what you wanted to gloat about. I never thought you would be the I-told-you-so type, but-"

A gentle yet amused chuckle broke through the girl's speech. "Oh Hinamori-chan, that's hardly what I wanted to say at all! Do please excuse me." Hinamori looked on questionably; Retsu took it as permission to continue. "I simply meant that something continues to trouble you, doesn't it? So much so that you would use similar methods to assuage the emotion…"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

Once more the amused chuckle. "Why, of course you do!" A smile. "Abarai-san has never been one for manners, has he?"

Hinamori simply stared. "Wha…what are you-"

"I heard your little _exchange _earlier, and the one a few days prior from Isane."

The girl blinked in awe. "But that – you don't know-"

"Hinamori-chan, I'm going to make this awfully quick, as you really should be returning to your division now." Hinamori watched her as she stepped forward. Bright morning sunlight streamed onto the captain's face, sparkling in her eyes. "You can't let that man bully you around, and you can't depend on Hitsugaya being there if Renji loses his cool one day. And allow me to add that acts of revenge can be rather noticeable to those who disapprove."

The gears in Hinamori's head seemed to have been fully oiled that morning, much to Retsu's pleasure, when she replied: "Are you suggesting there are more efficient ways to get back at someone than what I had in mind?"

Retsu struggled to keep her grin sincere. "Why of course! Except let's not call it revenge, dear, but the more civilized form known as standing up for oneself. Wouldn't you agree?"

Hinamori shook her head with a smile. "Sure I do. I'd almost forgotten how much you disliked it." A hesitant pause. "So…what is it that you had in mind?"

"Well something very simple, of course." It was no use; the smirk was not going to keep itself leashed today.

"You wouldn't want him noticing until the very end, you see, when you're sure he can't fight back."

* * *

Missed it. By a. Minute.

And Matsumoto was not going to let him forget it, apparently.

He had flash stepped back, realizing the trip hadn't been as hurried as he forced Hinamori to promise. Combined with his rising suspicions of Retsu's behavior, Speed just hadn't been on his side.

Mockery, however desired some alone time.

And, as was custom, her chest gave him a rather warm welcome before she actually did.

"It's about time, taichou!" she exclaimed, finally stepping back from an asphyxiating hug. Slight dazed but highly annoyed, he said nothing and seized his freedom to escape to his office.

"Please Matsumoto, not today. I'm not in the mood." Once again, she had neglected her work for the past week and there was _much_ to do if he even wanted to dream of leaving his office at a sane hour—

"Oh, you're never in the mood for anything. Always so serious…" Her voice danced, dangerously delightful. "To think you would apologize to mefor your grumpiness like you apologized to her – Ha! Wishful thinking, apparently."

Hitsugaya stopped in his tracks and turned just so his side profile was in view, mouth hanging slightly ajar. "What are you talking about?"

"As if you don't know!" she exclaimed, bounding to his side. "'Hinamori-chan, I'm sorry I was such a jerk slash ass slash insert-crude-name-here of a friend; please let me make it up to you by dragging you to your surprise birthday party so you can forgive my horrible plan-gone-wrong!' You know, that."

Hitsugaya twitched.

"So…you heard me."

"Are you kidding me? I laughed at every word that left your mouth! 'But please, Hinamori, please come…I just want you to know how much I love you—'"

"Matsumoto-"

"—even though you tried to kill me with delicious chocolate chip cookies—"

Really, it was amazing these days how lenient he'd become.

"—that probably had some strange love potion in them to make me fall in love with you—"

And as a result she giggled after almost every word.

"—even though I do so much_ anyway-_"

"_Matsumoto!_"

She pouted, placing arms akimbo. "Alright, alright, don't get all excited." She sighed, walking up to Hitsugaya's office door and opening it for him. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself and become bed bound like Kuchiki-taichou and Rukia."

Hitsugaya entered behind her, scowling deeply and just barely raising an eyebrow yet eager to change subjects. "The Kuchiki are in the Fourth Division? What for?"

She shrugged absentmindedly, making her way to a dusty cabinet across the room. "Not sure. The Hell Butterfly—yes you missed it, don't give me that look—only told me that they are 'currently recovering from illnesses'. But as for what happened…" she shrugged again, taking out a small glass and a bottle of sake from the very back.

Shoulders slumping, he heaved a sigh and took a seat at his desk, wincing irritably at four three feet stacks of backlogged work. There was, of course, the party and the planning, which until that moment he had not remembered cost him another two days of work. Dear _Kami_, there went his sanity. And then his patience, with a lengthy, unladylike burp.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he remarked, "Matsumoto, put down the bottle, take your two and a half stacks of papers, and please, for once, just _do _it." And after a short pause, "And stop hiding bottles of sake around the office to have at your disposal whenever you feel the need to drink."

She pouted, looking up with a slightly raised eyebrow from her bottle of sake, having neglected the cup altogether. "Having a temper tantrum, are we?"

He blinked, then took a deep breath, eyes losing all evidence of prior emotion. The vice-captain sighed, preparing to stand from the little used divan in the far corner of the room.

"Wait." Matsumoto rolled her eyes, lying back.

"What?" she droned.

"About the Kuchiki…do you…would you happen to know anything else about why they're in the Fourth?"

She shrugged, swirling the bottle and taking a small sip. "Not really."

"But that isn't a definite 'no.'" Matsumoto shot him a curious glance, but decided not to ask. Sighing, she finished her bottle and collected a pile of papers from the stacks next to her captain's desk.

"I don't know what Hinamori did with the cookies if she didn't give them to you, but they are the only things I can think of that would make Rukia and Kuchiki-taichou sick. Maybe Hinamori got a good batch and the poison cookies mixed up and sold it to them?" She shrugged again. "I guess that's kind of stretch, though…Well, I'll be off then. Later."

She closed the door without a second glance in her captain's direction, but even after she left, the question hung in the air like a nauseating odor. _Maybe that's exactly what happened. Maybe Hinamori realized it when it was too late, and Unohana grew angry. Her kindness could very well be a simple façade to fool both Hinamori and everyone else. And then Unohana, with less people poking around her division and no one suspecting her because of her gentleness…_

And then the pieces clicked together in that dangerously elaborate puzzle, and Hitsugaya felt as if he understood it all. All except the vindictive motive. But on that he couldn't dwell, because at that moment he was shivering, cursing his idiocy, darting his eyes and attempting to regain himself all at once.

Hinamori was in danger, her predator in the form of a black furred fox.

* * *

The first thing she was grateful for was the apparent absence of his nausea.

Byakuya awoke, seeming hardly well-rested, yet didn't stir. In the doorway she gazed at him, waiting for him to make a move so she could make hers. He was much recovered now, enough to stop what could be a disaster to her plans, but not enough to have a choice in the matter. He yawned, turning his head, and she silently mimicking so to keep him in view. And then-

"_Rukia!_"

He looked desperately confused and barely able to speak with the sudden ache of movement, but he glanced about the room in such a hurried manner that Unohana thought, with growing worry, that he might throw himself out of the bed.

Unohana.

She smiled to hide her concern, uttering something sweet but incomprehensible to Byakuya's ears; he instantly feared the revival of his nausea.

"I'm glad to see you are doing well, Kuchiki-taichou," she began.

And he finished, "You know where Rukia is. You _know_."

Unohana sniffed almost imperceptibly, and continued, crossing the room to his bed. "The nature of your illness has led me to conclude you've eaten something disagreeable. Perhaps if you ease slowly into your memories you can recall what that might have been? I remember you muttering being at a party—"

Byakuya's eyes burned from the lack of rest, but when he seized her wrist and snatched her gaze, he made sure they burned with something else.

The woman grinned. "Ah, well perhaps there is something to find out about your sister and your accomplice. But that is not information that I am allowed to divulge." His memory was hazy; she found this useful. But his mouth did not hang ajar as she expected. He hardened his focus, tightened his grip.

"Not allowed? I don't believe you have a choice."

"And if perhaps I know nothing more?" Her smile grew at the expression she dared call a pout on the man both weary from exhaustion and dazed by drowsy medicine. "You're not in any condition, Kuchiki-taichou, to make threats. You are under my direct care in my division in the most isolated of rooms, and it will be your words alone that decide whether you will live or whether you will suffer."

She dropped her smile when his gaze faltered, taking advantage of the moment to slip her wrist from his grasp. He seemed unable to answer, withdrawing his hand and bowing his head. But she was wary. Nobility never acted helpless. He was mocking her, she was sure of it. Such lack of humility evoked a disdainful glare, but with self-control, nothing more. Oh, if only he knew how nice she was being! She could have easily excused a rope-bound Byakuya to her subordinates, could have fed him concoctions that would leave him contorted with pain and begging for mercy. Could have slipped him sedatives and had all of him to herself. Could have even forced him to watch Rukia crumble into fitful convulsions while crying in vain for an end.

It was a shame, really, what compassion and infatuation could prevent one from doing. It was even sadder that her poor little Byakuya-kun understood none of this.

Sighing, she softly petted him and sat beside him on the bed. "Now then, let's cooperate, shall we? Just tell me what you ate yesterday, from the beginning of the day to the end." Byakuya did not respond, tilting his head farther down, raven hair drooping so to block her figure in his peripheral. The silence drowned her, the impatience choked her, but that minute, sarcastic curl of thin lips set ablaze her intricately crafted persona of smiles.

And with every word, Byakuya was throwing wood.

"It amazes me, Retsu, that you would insult my intelligence so as to think I've not the slightest idea what you've been doing. You brought me here, not Rukia, not Yoruichi. You desire something from me. And I refuse to give it to you."

Lips parting slightly, head inclining in contempt, Unohana began melting. From her impatience with men's ignorance. From pure, monotonous boredom. From years of unrequited love she tried to keep locked in a box until the Lust who was Pandora spread and infected the emotion like a metastasizing cancer. And it all slid away as a last false, dying grace, breaking the promise of sanity, her mighty resolve – the altruistic façade. The Unohana Retsu she had made herself believe truly existed in order to achieve some level of self-restraint. Now it was gone, briskly swept away by a blank stare and a symphony of silence.

Perhaps it was because she didn't know what to do with herself. She hadn't stepped back into this skin in some time. The claws clicked unfamiliarly; the fur itched. But it was up to Byakuya whether she was to be free of it once more, and he had to know that.

She slapped him. Yanked his hair in a feral grasp. Punched the beautiful features she dreamed of pressing her lips against. Shoved him back on the bed and shivered, letting the tears roll down anger-puffed cheeks.

He arose slowly in trembling breaths, staring, bewildered, unsure of what to do with himself. Unohana looked away. In that moment, she hated him. Hated him because she loved him and yet felt stagnated in her progress. Couldn't he see it? Why was such a simple message so hard to convey? Those eyes, those unyielding eyes, always glaring, or scornful, or apathetically mocking, sometimes even vacant, but now transfixing on her as if she were the sole impression of interest on a dull world. She had, of course, wanted this look for so long, that curiosity, that astonishment, but under…differing circumstances.

But Unohana was not a beggar; she took what she could get.

"You fail to understand, Byakuya, that what I want from you I already have," she spat, voice quivering all the while. "Every hair, every drop of sweat, every inch of who you are is completely, undeniably mine." And grabbing his chin, licking her lips, she hissed, "You won't be giving me anything, because I'm taking as I see fit."

For some time, she devoured him with her lips, teasing her own insatiable craving. Fingers twitching with excitement, they traveled through his clothes, slowly, mischievously, hungrily. Too sore to move anything else, his arms clawed her, clawed for an escape, but managed only to undo the single braid of her hair. She was leaning over him now, using her weight to keep him bound, her tongue to keep him entranced, even if only with disgust.

There was a time when she would have cried at the thought of Byakuya pushing her away, winced at the bitter taste of medicine and vomit on his lips. But now, desperate, wild, though far from free, she enjoyed it, breathed it, lived it. It was far from a fairy tale, but that was fine; Unohana had always wanted something a tad spicier. Something that would wake her up from the monotony of caring for those abrasive eleventh division fools. Something that would finally allow her overdue, zealous freedom.

It had begun, and then abruptly, it had ended, and the wonderful hypnosis of ecstasy that had uplifted her dropped dead with a simple slam of a door. Opening.

Unohana turned slowly to the direction of the sound, bringing Byakuya's gaze along with her. Rukia slouched against the doorframe, zanpakutou in hand, acrid glare and sickened expression. And she said one thing, one thing alone, that's pure effect on Unohana was undoing the last thread of the restraint on her loathing.

"Get off of my brother, you old, horny bitch."

* * *

**End of chapter six.**

**~Twi**


	7. A Number of Sins

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

**Chapter seven: A Number of Sins

* * *

**

The first thing he had been grateful for was the absence of his nausea, and the lack of a lurching stomach that had made his abdomen sore. Even so, it was all he could be grateful for, as hope itself was hopeless. She had spied on him, kidnapped him, slapped him, punched him, kissed him, and commanded love from him in such a short amount of time that Byakuya faintly wished he was as impervious to emotion as his peers perceived him to be.

Unohana Retsu. An enigma in and of herself, but a pitiful one at that. Lonely. Desperate. And frustrated.

She had kept Rukia hostage, did who knew _what_ with Yoruichi, and had to have both used and done away with Renji like a wad of chewing gum. And she had dared to pretend to know absolutely nothing. She thought he was ignorant, though not blissfully so, but that would cost her. Unohana had not just crossed the line, she leaped and tried to erase the evidence. But if she had unnerved him, Rukia's sudden appearance had at least a bit more, if only for a moment.

"_Get off of my brother, you old, horny bitch."_

He'd gone numb with shock, but in that rush of commotion, for the first time in too long, he wanted to smile. It wasn't the humor of the insult, nor was it Unohana's rather expressive bewilderment. It was pride. Not the type that accompanied his being a captain or the twenty-eighth head of his clan. But the foreign one, the one he would never admit to directly, the one that made him smile in a situation so desperate, because his sister was daring, and loved him enough to care. But just like the slap to the face, everything after passed so quickly that in retrospect he couldn't quite perceive how he managed to remain even halfway rational through it all.

Retsu had smirked once recovering from surprise, licking her lips slowly before turning back to Byakuya with a sickeningly satisfied glaze to her eyes. "Crafty," she'd started, "to have been able to leave your room and make it up here without help."

"Careless," Rukia snapped, "to not have locked the door behind you." She kicked the door with a heel. "Including this one."

Unohana snorted, lifting herself off the bed and making her way toward the window on the other side of the room. "You've been in a bed for at least fifteen hours, drugged three times with doses of medicine so strong you couldn't move, crying when you did so. You've eaten little to nothing at all, and I could only guess what truly contorted idea you have of my motives." Cocking her head to one side, hair draping across her shoulder, she added, "Let's stop this tantrum, shall we?" But when the woman opened her eyes, Rukia's blade lay a breadth of an inch away from Unohana's nose.

"_Mae,_" Rukia called softly, sensing the sharp chill as her zanpakutou sprang to life and Unohana's eyes widened in fear, "_sode no shirayuki._" The frozen air stabbed her pores, forcing her to move. Ducking, she grabbed her own zanpakutou resting against the stand near the window and swung for Rukia, who blocked the attack.

"You aren't truly going to fight me, are you? In your pathetic state?" Retsu questioned, applying more force to her blade.

Rukia completely disregarded her. "Ise-fukutaichou!"

Retsu's attention briefly shifted towards Byakuya's bed, where with an angry growl she eyed both Byakuya and Nanao escaping, the latter helping the former out of the bed in a hurried, yet delicate manner. Shoving Rukia aside, she rushed towards them. "Don't you _dare—_"

"_Hadou sanjyuusan – soukatsui!_"

Direct hit. And Unohana fell.

She let out a short gasp as she collapsed to the floor. Rukia ran ahead of her, and watched as now temporarily weakened arms trembled to support their weight as Unohana tried to lift herself up.

"_Get…back here…_"

She had already made it to the door, but an idea sparked and Rukia ran back, intent to snatch the flimsy necklace with the room key attached from around Unohana's neck. But when in an arm's distance away from the captain, she fell to the floor with a sharp cry. She leered back at the offending hand digging its nails into her ankle.

"_Hadou jyuuichi – tsuzuri raiden!_"

Rukia gave an acute shriek from the focused shock of the electrical blast in her ankle. Her body rattled, her stomach knotting, folding and contorting itself, senses sloshing together like a canoe in a whirlpool. Scurrying to regain control, Unohana used her last bit of energy snatching up the blade that was knocked out of her hands and gripping it ominously over the girl who had ruined her scene of bliss.

"Rukia-chan, didn't you know?" she huffed, long strands of disheveled black hair sticking to her face and eyes aflame with rage. "_I hate you!_"

Thinking quickly, Rukia rolled over, first left, then right, desperately avoiding the blade that came down with a murderous intent. The blade came down a third time, and Rukia threw herself forward to knock the woman off her feet. Unohana's sword tore through Rukia's right shoulder, then the captain picked her up and shoved the girl into a wall.

"You are not getting away with this," she snarled, approaching Rukia who was wincing from pain and attempting to stand and defend herself.

"You sure about that?" Unohana froze, forcing her attention from the torture of her beloved's sister to the audacity of the voice that confronted her.

A flash of bright orange hair was the only thing she processed before dropping the girl in a surprised gasp. With experienced ease he reversed his blade, shoving the hilt into her sternum and cutting off all air in a single hit. Her collapse to the ground seemed to take full minutes. As the substitute stole from her her last chance, she grasped at that moment that she was losing.

By the time she realized she was on the ground, laying on her side and gasping for air and coughing up blood, the room had since been vacated, the door closed and most likely locked from the outside. Shifting herself to lie on her back and moaning all the while, she raised a weak hand and called a hell butterfly. After transmitting the message, she sighed and allowed herself to give way under the drain of energy, a smile painted crookedly on her lips.

* * *

Two floors up in the emptiest hall of the division was Ichigo, gently laying the injured onto the hospital bed. She groaned nonetheless, head shifting to the opposite side. "You'll be fine, Rukia, after a quick treatment," commented Isane, closing the door behind them. Rukia nodded faintly, turning her attention to Ichigo and seemingly on the verge of tears. She raised the unwounded arm and opened her mouth to say something, and he leaned in:

"Ichigo, you _idiot_! I didn't need any _saving_!"

And so his expectant gaze sagged into the customary scowl. "How were you going to get yourself out of there without me?"

"I got myself _up _there without you!"

"Yeah, with Isane's super recovery-thingy and Nanao's help, isn't that right?" He glanced at Nanao standing by the window, who blushed and gave a noncommittal sound of agreement. Rukia pouted and glanced away, wanting to fold her arms to accentuate the sentiment but quickly decided against it.

"That's _medicine_, Kurosaki-san, if you please. And one of the most sophisticated of its sort," Isane corrected with pride. "It restores a shinigami's reiatsu by converting the spirit particles around them into two types, one to encourage high speed recovery, the other to restore energy. And all that leftover energy gets transferred to the physical body to function. It's all pretty detailed, really…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm sure you all don't really care about the specifics, though…"

"Thank you," stated Byakuya suddenly, addressing Isane, "for your help."

The room succumbed to silence, its occupants guilty for having momentarily forgotten the gravity of their situation. No one turned to Byakuya when he spoke, and the man himself seemed to be staring off, his aura uncharacteristically wistful.

"Of course, Kuchiki-taichou," Isane nearly whispered, finally breaking the silence. She cleared her throat. "Though if Nanao hadn't told me what was going on, I wouldn't have been able to."

Confused, the captain turned to her for some sort of answer. "I was in the library when you passed out, and heard everything. Like when Unohana used what she claimed to be a neuro-sense scrambler to stop Shihouin Yoruichi's movements—"

"A Wasurenagusa bomb!" Isane exclaimed, about with surprise. "It must have been short range to not affect you, and therefore highly concentrated. But those bombs have been banned from use…I'd no idea taichou still owned any…"

"Which simply provides us with another offense to add to the list," Byakuya slipped in, "which is so far quite long already. What of Renji?"

"Unohana ordered him to take you to a hospital bed under some excuse or another, and then she put Rukia in the room I found her in later."

"And Yoruichi?" Byakuya inquired.

"She should be okay, but I haven't seen her for awhile. Renji tried to dump her on the ground somewhere, but he fled and I was there when she woke up." At Ichigo's words Nanao shifted uncomfortably, recalling her conversation with the woman. She wondered what the ex-captain would think of her decision to act on Kuchiki's captivity without her, but it was not something to dwell on.

"Where is Renji now?" Rukia suddenly asked, drawing their glances but receiving blank looks in response.

"He was here earlier, this morning, in fact," Isane remembered. "I'm not sure what for, though, because I only saw him for an instant…" Byakuya then stood, straightening his clothes and putting on the folded haori that lay on the nightstand beside him.

"Wait, where are you going?" Isane started, suddenly more alert with the man's fluid movements. "Kuchiki-taichou, I can't guarantee the beneficial effects of the medicine I gave you to recover your energy if you're planning on using your zanpakutou-"

"I plan on doing nothing of the sort, Isane-fukutaichou," he stated firmly, picking up both Senbonzakura and its sheath.

She blinked quickly and looked away, retreating. "Y-Yes, of course…"

"When the treatment finishes, I'd like you to return Rukia to my estate," he announced, eyeing Nanao, "and you, Kurosaki, to follow me."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but it was Rukia who interjected. "Wait! You can't just leave me—"

She quieted at her brother's gaze, boldly staring back and surprised by the flicker of rage she saw within him. "Nii-sama…you promised you would let me help you."

His gaze shifted from her unwillingly, and he started for the door. "And you've done your part, Rukia. Now allow me to do mine."

It was Rukia's turn to cast her gaze downwards, watching silently as her brother's steps echoed in the hallway. But with his parenting presence now gone, Ichigo whirled around to Rukia, who graced him only with a gentle smile.

"Go with him, Ichigo. He…he needs you right now. And," she put on a contemptuous tone, "I'll be sure to chastise you later."

"Rukia…"

"Go already!"

Ichigo frowned, running after him. Rukia gave a light sigh, briefly forgetting about the presence of the other women until they began to laugh. "What?" she asked with certain alarm, glancing between the two and blushing. They only shook their heads and continued on, and Rukia gave up trying to figure out what they found so comical. At the moment, it only mattered that she could breathe freely, that she was not locked in a dark basement, that her brother wasn't about to become a victim of molestation, that Unohana was…suffering, and hopefully that Renji was about to get beaten to a pulp.

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya truly was one of the fastest when it came to shunpo.

In ten minutes he had traveled over almost the entire divisional compound, and whether it was through the boost of the fuel of anger or just pure speed Ichigo couldn't know. One thing he was sure of, however, was that he was severely out of breath and if the captain hadn't stopped when he had he might have actually called him out on it. As it was, he had to play dodging games for another five minutes as soon as he landed. A chair flew at him. Then a desk. Then two other chairs. Then two other _people_. Byakuya seemed to avoid the projectiles with experienced ease – something that scared Ichigo quite a bit until he realized they had stopped near the edge of the Eleventh Division training grounds.

_Why are we—_"OOF!"

"_What the hell is your problem, Yachiru?_" Ichigo bellowed as the little vice captain laughed and shouted loud 'oof's as she jumped on his shoulders like a trampoline. From a few feet away, Kenpachi gave the three an irritated one over and a deep grunt. Byakuya stepped up.

"Excuse me for interrupting your practice, but I believe we've an imperative matter to discuss."

"I'm already doin' something important. Don't see your division members fightin' any better. It can wait."

"It cannot."

The frankness of Byakuya's words aroused a groan from the other captain, who, with an indifferent and otherwise indecipherable hand wave, motioned for the training shinigami to leave. At once, Yachiru released her hold of Ichigo's shoulders and resumed her spot on Kenpachi's. After a short period of shouts, laughs, and clanging and sheathing swords, the four shinigami stood alone.

"What?"

Byakuya turned to Ichigo, who hesitated before pulling out the modified picture of Renji and Yachiru. The vice-captain made a tiny 'o' with her mouth and blinked a bit in rapid succession. Ichigo didn't believe he had ever seen her so quiet.

Kenpachi's eyes ballooned. "The hell is that?"

"Something I believe needs an investigation. I do not believe our vice-captains are as of yet at suitable ages for this type of relationship."

The brute captain sucked his teeth, turning to Yachiru who blinked back at him with the same questionable glance, touched with childlike innocence. "Where the hell is Renji then?"

"I was hoping you would accompany me in search of h—"

But no sooner had he finished his sentence had Kenpachi burst out of one side of the stone-walled arena, sword already drawn. Yachiru's laughs and cheers of support trailed behind, and the sixth division captain could only sigh to himself, Ichigo already giving chase and shouting for them to wait.

* * *

Unohana turned to her side, suddenly aware of the throbbing pain in her ribcage. Sitting up was impossible. It had been centuries since she had felt so worn out. She was the fourth division captain, after all – battle was not the activity actively scheduled into her daily routine. The shifting of glasses and cabinets stole her attention to where Isane stood, intently organizing and prioritizing various medicines and herbs.

"I…Isane-fukutaichou," she called out in a raspy voice. The other woman quickly met her request. "How long have I been here?"

"Forty-five minutes, taichou."

"I see…"

She rolled over to the other side of the bed to shift her weight, wincing all the while. Should she ask what happened to test Isane, or would that have been too obvious? Yet, surely the commotion alerted someone…

"Unohana-taichou?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I asked you how you feel."

"O-Oh…well, rather confused…"

Isane paused, but only for a split second. "Confused?"

"Yes. I don't seem to remember what happened to have put myself in such a state. Would you?"

A pause, and the vice's shoulders rose as the woman took in a breath. "No, not at all, taichou."

"I see…"

After entertaining a short yet questioning gaze, Isane finished the medicinal preparations and offered her captain a finger length vial of a purple, viscous fluid. "Here."

Unohana looked up. "That's…"

"It will help with the soreness, at least."

"I don't need you to tell me that. Shouldn't you be more concerned with what happened to me?"

The vice captain's eyes flashed. "Your well being was more important, but I will file investigative reports as soon as I'm convinced you're well. Now please—"

"I would like those reports to be filed now."

"…"

"Did you hear me?"

"With all due respect, taichou, I and the third to sixth seats believe you were attacked, likely as a warning of some sort. And if you are someone's target, it would be best that I stay at your side for the moment."

"I'm fine, Isane."

The woman drew closer to the bed. "It would still be best if you were accompanied—"

Smacking the glass out of the woman's hands, Unohana screamed, "I'm fine!" It hit the floor and shattered, the vice captain yelping, then staring at her captain in disbelief. Unohana could not meet the gaze. "Forgive me, Isane. I…I don't quite feel myself. Perhaps I do need some rest."

The vice captain gave a subtle nod in salute. "Understood. E-Excuse me."

Isane scurried out of the room. Seconds passed, but already Unohana could feel herself shivering, unconsciously tightening her grip on the edge of the hospital bed. She couldn't contain herself, but it hadn't mattered. _She_ knew, and had just locked her into the damn room.

On the other side of the door, Isane listened for a few minutes, then rushed down the hall to the third seat. "Make sure she doesn't leave that room," she ordered. The other nodded and left, already scouring the hall to find men for backup. Isane sighed, watching him and slumping against the wall. _Unohana-taichou…does it really have to come to this?

* * *

_

Dull sunlight streamed in through the closed, dusty curtains of Soichiro's Sweets, casting stationary shadows unto never touched shelves of sugar. The shop was not intended to promote profits, but to serve as a porthole of information of the most important events of Soul Society. Unfortunately, its usefulness had been declining over the centuries, and it now was only a place of refuge for the few who knew its former purpose.

Yoruichi stretched, leaning against the wall and placing a warm cup of mint tea on the table. "And _that_ is why I'm here right now, chasing around jealous shinigami, sorting through outrageous and obvious lies, and generally having a blast watching as all the magic plays out."

The old man's shoulders heaved with his laugh. "Ah, Byakuya," he reminisced. "Old Stone Face could be doing better, eh?"

Yoruichi snorted. "To say the least."

"And _this_ has been all the latest of Renji's mischief?"

"Of his and others, unfortunately."

Soichiro sighed, placing down his own cup. "What a shame. I would think the boy would have more sense than to degrade himself with greed like that."

"I wouldn't say that, exactly. He's selfish and misguided, yes, but—" They paused and turned to the entrance of the shop. A potent, brooding reiatsu seeped through the walls, irritated, resolute and regretful all at once. Yoruichi narrowed her eyes.

"It would be better if he didn't find me here. Take care of it."

He arose from the floor, chuckling. "Always the bossy one, you were." She smiled but gave no comment, slinking quietly into another room as the door of the shop opened.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, forcing a smile and taking his place behind the counter. "I've been expecting you! How are you?" The red head gave a shrug, walking in. In an attempt to hasten conversation, he ignored Renji's sulking.

"So…I'm going to guess you'd like another favor?" Renji eyed him with surprise, then took the glance to the floor. "It's just…I only-"

"Go on."

He paused, hesitating. "It's—it's an emergency! I just…Well you can't know who's involved right now, I wouldn't want you going off on your own—"

"Or you don't want me know. That's it, isn't it?" Renji blinked at him. "Well…let me think about it."

The red head stared as if the other were insane. "But how long is that going to take? I need to know now, now or else everything might –"

"You should have thought of that before you exhausted your chances." Renji raised an eyebrow. _Exhausted? _"I have a fairly good idea what you've been up to, and I do not condone any of it." The vice-captain's shoulders dropped. "I'm sorry, Renji, but until I can confide in you intentions I just can't help. Hopefully this condition remains temporary and will subside quickly, but that's up to you to decide."

Renji bowed his head. "I understand."

"Good." He began to leave, but stopped midway.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I can't tell you why, really, but thank you, Ojiisan."

The door clicked shut behind him, and shortly after followed Yoruichi's chuckles. "Nice, very nice," she began, slinking from the other room. "Now to try my hand."

"You hid from him and now you're going to follow him?"

"Of course! The last time I saw Renji was not the best of incidents. He may be sorry, but he also needs to have his head set straight. And he wants a fight, so I'll give him one." She flashed the storekeeper a smile. "Besides, these old bones could use some exercise with all the time I spend meowing around Kisuke."

Soichiro returned her smile with laughter. "Well, if you must. Do greet him for me."

"Do you really have to tell me?" She threw him another smile and was out of the store.

Not even five minutes later was she spying on the sixth division vice-captain, who was trudging about slowly, twenty feet ahead of her and kicking a stone. Sensing familiar reiatsu, Renji stopped and stared over his shoulder. The clink of a dropping object sounded and he spun around once more, only to freeze altogether when a blade the length of his forearm sneaked around his neck.

"Hello, Renji. I hope you didn't think dumping me in a street would get rid of me for good."

"I'm not that stupid, Yoruichi-san."

"No, but you're still pretty dull. Did you really believe listening to Unohana Retsu would get you anywhere?"

Renji rolled his eyes. "That's not a question I'm going to answer."

The woman smirked through the mocking tone of her voice. "Ah, well you don't have to! But I do need to know where Rukia is."

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I _don't_."

Sucking her teeth, she snatched the blade away and swung at his face with her free hand. Surprised and thrown off balance, he fell to the ground, lip busted and bleeding. When she grabbed his _shihakusho_ and raised him forward is when his eyes met hers in a blazing glare.

"Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to finish what I started yesterday?" She received no reply. "Don't make me have to do this, Renji."

"You're not going to kill me over this."

"That's not the point!" she exclaimed, dropping him to the ground. "You idiot, don't you see? It doesn't matter what you want, but if that girl is with that deranged old woman then you've got a lot more to worry about than what anyone else's intentions are!" The force of Renji's gaze flittered away. "I know you're in love with her," Yoruichi continued, "but you need to see past your selfishness. Unohana is not helping you."

"I know that." Yoruichi blinked in surprise, her grip loosening a little as Renji stood up. "I know she's using me. She told me so, and I guess I knew it before, but I wouldn't let myself believe it. And I know I've been a big cause to this entire mess, and I want to fix it. I want to help Rukia!" He took a deep breath, but still found himself unable to look the ex-captain in the eye. "But this is my fault. So I have to be the one to fix it."

They remained in silence for awhile, but Renji did not manage to pick up his head until he heard the sound of laughing. Yoruichi was…giggling. A lot.

"You want to do it alone? You want to do everything alone? And you think that's going to make it all better?" She laughed again, chuckling between her words, but Renji understood every bit besides and grimaced.

"Renji…you're not alone. If you truly want to help her, that is." He stared, understanding dawning, and managed a small smile. "You could start by telling me where Kuchiki Rukia is, though, and quickly, as I'll have to be leaving you soon." Raising an eyebrow, Renji followed her gaze where he saw a group of people in the distance walking in his direction.

"Well?" He blinked as if snapping out of a trance, then hesitated. "Renji, every second you waste is another second I can't get to Rukia for you." He swallowed, looked down, and sighed.

"The last time I saw Rukia she was being kept in the old lab room in the library, which is almost invisible with its camouflage door. But…that was hours ago, last night, in fact, and knowing that I'm now against her I'm sure Unohana will have moved her."

Yoruichi nodded. "It's okay, that's a start. And Renji…thank you, and good luck."

The 'good luck', with its sudden change in intonation, is what stole the vice captain's attention. As he had sulked, Yoruichi had transformed, clothes in her mouth and preparing to scamper away. "Wait! Yoruichi-san!" he called, taking a few steps after her, but she was gone. He sucked his teeth and crossed his arms, only to focus on the sounds of rapid thumping and grunts of joy. The group of people making his way toward him was not walking, Zaraki Kenpachi bounding towards him like a speeding bullet. Eyes widening with alarm, he mind raced with questions. Yoruichi had bolted, seeing them from a mile away. Was he after her, or did she run not wanting to be around when Kenpachi came for him? He could hide in Ojiisan's shop…not that that would help too much if Zaraki had already spotted him. He'd tear the place to shreds. There was always the ineffective method of pretending not to notice…

At that instant he sensed his ex-captain's reiatsu as a flurry of angry pleasure. Gulping, he dared to turn around, only to see Kenpachi feet away with his sword drawn. On instinct, Renji drew his own sword, the opposing blade making contact seconds later. "_Renji!_" Kenpachi bellowed. The two skidded backwards, the redhead being pushed a considerable distance before Kenpachi eased up. Catching up behind him were Yachiru's inevitable cheers, a panting Ichigo, and a callous Byakuya.

As far as Renji was concerned, this was _not_ going to end well.

"Zaraki-taichou, what's going on?" As soon as he spoke, Renji saw Ichigo's expression darken, but tried his best to ignore it.

"Wouldn't I like to know. You're the one forcing yourself on children."

"_I'm what?_"

Ichigo flung at him his answer - a sturdy pierce of paper with sharp cut edges. Irritated, Renji picked it up and flipped it over – only to panic over the image on the other side. Wide-eyed, Renji almost choked on his own reply. "This—this is impossible! I never—we didn't—"

"Shut-it, Abarai," Kenpachi interrupted, inclining his head toward Yachiru, comfortably situated on the tree branch right next to him. Her legs swung back and forth at a speed suggesting that she was enjoying the spectacle before her.

"But that picture of me is a fake! I didn't _do _that! What reason would I have to do that?"

"Are you suggesting, Renji, that I would be more likely to possess such a reason?" It was the first time Byakuya had laid his eyes on him since the conversation had begun. His expression was unyielding, but was the reiatsu that betrayed him – a fervent fury of antipathy struggling to break through its owner's restraint. Yet even so, Renji could not ignore the challenge.

"You know what? Maybe I_ am._"

"And would you have means to prove the theory?" Renji only cursed under his breath as he met his captain's glare. _That bastard,_ he thought. _He knows what happened with me and Unohana. Knows and got Ichigo to play with his stupid gadgets and make a fake picture. _Tightening his fists unconsciously, he cast the glare at Ichigo instead, who chose to be ignorant of it as he stared off in another direction.

"No, I wouldn't," he responded at last.

Byakuya sniffed. "I would think not." Renji growled in response.

"Which is fine," Kenpachi added, "because Yachiru's deciding who's tellin' the truth." Byakuya said nothing to this. Renji looked tentatively at the young girl as she jumped off the tree branch. Perhaps it was because his nerves were in such a mess, but he could have sworn the girl had given him the most impish of looks.

"Mmm," she began, drawing out the low sound in a delicate imitation of thought and decision. "I don't think I should say…"

"Kusajishi-fukutaichou, this is a matter of extreme importance. If Abarai Renji has truly treated you in such a vulgar manner, it should not be kept secret." She turned to Byakuya and smiled lightly, catching the man off guard, then quickly turned away.

"Tattoo face did it. And he told me he would treat me to everything he could buy in a special candy shop in the Rukongai if I stayed quiet!"

Renji's mouth dropped in horror. Byakuya subtly released a sigh. Ichigo smirked. And Kenpachi's frown deepened.

"Za-Za-Zaraki-taichou! Listen to me, please! I really didn't—"

Kenpachi's only consolation was an angry, patronizing glare. "Y'know if ya hurry, ya might just get a head start."

"But I—"

"That's the store he showed me, too, Ken-chan! Right over there!" Zaraki snapped, lunging for the man with all the force of a scared elephant. The lieutenant just barely leaped out of range, but his opponent had already given chase as Renji dashed across the field in an anxious panic state. Byakuya stared after him, not able to help feeling victorious and a bit excited.

"I must acknowledge all you've done to help," he stated, turning to the orange haired teen.

Ichigo shrugged, a smile of gratitude appearing. "I do what I can."

"I must admit, I had my doubts…"

He placed his arms behind his head. "I'm sure. But in a situation like this, I would've helped either way. But…you're welcome." The captain nodded in consent, then turned his focus on Yachiru, still watching the scene from her position in the tree.

"And you. You were willing to lie for me…Thank you."

"Well of course I'd help! Ken-chan was a lot angrier than he looked, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to your face!"

Byakuya blinked in awe, disturbed and unable to reprimand Ichigo for the laughing fit that pervaded his surprised silence. "But you better keep your promise and play with me when I want you to!" There was no hesitation in is voice when he replied, "Understood." With a final, honest smile, she was off, eager not miss anymore of the cat and mouse chase. Byakuya and Ichigo watched her until she was out of sight, when a quiet rustling stole the attention.

"Ahh, an almost happy ending." A black cat purred amicably behind them, licking its paw. Byakuya narrowed his eyes.

"I suppose you enjoyed the show then, Yoruichi? Except this has done nothing about Unohana Retsu."

"Of which I'm very well aware. I'm surprised, though – where are your manners? You haven't even asked if I'm well."

Byakuya's silence was just long enough to suggest irritation. "I prefer not to dwell on the obvious."

Yoruichi chuckled. "Ah, well, there _are _more important things. You know, Renji might be bed bound for the next few weeks. I'd have thought you would have at least tried to pry out some answers him before Unohana gets to him."

"Which would have been ideal, yet Kenpachi's impatience would never have allowed me to do so. And I'm sure you don't believe discussing the matter in front of him would have been a good idea. But you haven't lingered behind to question me, have you?"

Yoruichi smiled.

"Maybe I have! According to my investigation, a certain photo of you and Yachiru does, in fact, exist. Given the apparent reasons, I wouldn't be surprised if it _does_." Ichigo snorted. Byakuya frowned.

"So you came to ridicule. How courtly of you."

"I came to _find_ you Byakuya. Excuse me for having your well-being in mind." Playful tone, brisk tail whip. "And Rukia?"

"Safe."

"Unohana?"

"Not exactly taken care of," replied Ichigo with a smirk, stretching an arm, "but out of action for now."

"One thing stands out to me, though," Yoruichi continued. "Renji was supposed to have the real photo. But he never pulled it out to make an argument against you like he should have." Byakuya's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. The cat only bowed her head in reply before he could ask the question.

"So then… Retsu?"

Yoruichi averted her eyes. "At best. But with her now evident and particularly effective tendency to manipulate people, who knows?"

* * *

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya called, running to catch up with her. "Hey!" She was ambling towards the entrance of the First Division, half lidded eyes focused on the captain only after a delayed registering of his presence. After coming to a semi solid conclusion of what Unohana Retsu was up to, he had attempted to find Hinamori, and by helpful coincidence he did, the girl seeming to walk aimlessly about as if in a daze. He reached her side and stopped, catching his breath a bit, and frowning after a quick glance at the deep gray sky looming above. "Hinamori, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"O-Oh," she blushed, eyes briefly darting from side to side. "Nothing, really, just a stroll…" When the silence between them lasted too long, the girl finally decided to meet his gaze, albeit reluctantly, and burst into tears.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, throwing her hands to her face. "I'm sorry I tried to make you sick, Shirou-chan! I know you know what I tried to do, Rangiku must have told you by now, but…it's just…I was so sad, and you were being so mean, and I guess I just wanted you to know what it was like to feel awful because you wouldn't let me speak to you…"

Hitsugaya sighed. "Hinamori—"

"I don't…I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay? I threw the cookies away, so everything's fine now!"

"Hinamori—"

"Oh don't! Please! I have to go now, okay?" She'd gone from teary eyed to demanding in a matter of seconds – it could only mean something was up and she didn't want him around to know, or so he assumed.

"I accept, Hinamori, relax. But I have to tell you something and it can't afford to wait." The girl gaped at him, positively frightened, but for the sake of her well-being Hitsugaya decided to ignore it. _She probably thinks I don't care, but there are more important things right now. _He took a deep breath.

"I've noticed that you have been spending a lot of casual time with Unohana-taichou recently. I believe it best that you stop." She blinked in awe at his sudden frankness, but he continued nonetheless. "Hinamori, that woman is going to hurt you if you're not careful and I don't think—"

The vice-captain suddenly pushed him backwards, completely bewildered. "Wha…what are you talking about? This is Unohana-taichou, she wouldn't hurt anybody!"

Of course she would argue. He knew this. But knowing beforehand did nothing to assuage the deep rooted frustration he felt with having to battle the girl over her own lack of good judgment. "But it's _because_ it's Unohana that can't let your guard down! She's angry with you; somehow that batch of cookies you made got to Kuchiki-taichou and made him very sick—"

"That's just ridiculous! I threw them out! And if he was ill she would have told me! She couldn't be angry! It just doesn't make any sense—"

"_Hinamori, you idiot!_ You can't trust her like you trusted Aizen!"

And all at once time stopped, the echoes of their high pitched voices dying away in the empty, narrow streets on the outskirts of the First Division. The girl had frozen like death with eyes drooping gradually in a likewise imitation. The boy had realized the damage of his words as he uttered them, and despite his calling her name, she had already internalized the exclamation, enveloped it in the delicate, crystal casing of her heart, and placed it at the forefront of her mind. Hitsugaya placed the palm of hand to his forehead in a display of silent frustration, both with her and himself. There would be no getting through to her now. She had begun to walk away long before he realized, and when he went to catch up he was met with the blade of a zanpakutou pointed at his chest.

"Go away," came the warning in a low rasp whisper. It surprised the captain more than the blade.

"Hina—"

"_Leave me alone!_" A powerful burst of a simple, but concentrated kidou spell threw him back and off his feet, and the vice took advantage of the moment to hurry away. Hitsugaya struggled to get up and supported himself against a wall, the spell having specifically aimed for leg damage. An irritated sigh and the boy threw his head back, cursing silently at the sky once again.

Stratus clouds. It was going to rain.

* * *

She was surprised at how strong she had become since _he_ had left; she didn't cry all the time now, especially at the mention of his name. She had stopped running after a short while, convinced she wasn't being followed. He just wasn't making any sense, that Hitsugaya, and she couldn't understand it.

The incipience of the rain having unconsciously spurred her forward, her destination suddenly stood before her, halting the girl abruptly. The doors opened, Sasakibe Choujirou looking upon her with an expression that was almost indifference.

"Hinamori Momo, vice-captain of the Fifth Division, sir. If I may be allowed an audience?"

"…Very well. Go ahead."

She stepped into the building as he shut the door, then was lead to a floor where his captain stood on a balcony, overlooking the Seireitei in silent thought. Swallowing her trepidation, she stepped forward, presenting the sealed, manila envelope she had been hiding in her _shihakusho_. "Yamamoto-soutaichou, I'd like to request the resignation of Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji from their positions as captain and lieutenant of the Sixth Division."

* * *

**End of chapter seven.**

**~Twi**


	8. Piffleesque Insanity

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

A/N: So after much toil and trouble and writer's block and a little insanity of my own, I present to you the penultimate chapter of Hinamori's Cookies!

**Chapter eight: Piffle-esque Insanity

* * *

**

"I would like to request the resignation of Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji from their positions as captain and lieutenant of the Sixth Division."

The captain commander did not react as Hinamori thought he would, but merely continued to stare almost absentmindedly over the dim clouded Seireitei horizon. That the suggestion of the resignation of those two would soon run by him did not come as any surprise. Rumors flew about quickly, and their names had surfaced frequently, which was in and of itself more of a surprise to him than the insinuations of the events that would soon transpire.

"That is a very serious request, Hinamori-fukutaichou, one that is not within your grounds to propose."

Hinamori flinched, then reached into her _shihakusho_ and pulled out a small manila envelope. Holding it for him, she stated. "Understood, soutaichou. However, I'd like you to take the idea into consideration. And I believe what's inside this envelope will be enough." At this, Yamamoto faced her. He gave both her and the envelope questionable glances, then stepped forward and gently took it from her hands.

"Before I open this," he began, staring down at Hinamori, "remember that false and baseless accusations merit their own consequences."

She stood resolute. "I will."

Part of him simply did not want to know what he was holding, what with the rumors and the too coincidental juxtaposition of Byakuya's hospitalization with the strange events occurring around him. Yet despite himself, he delicately undid the envelope, pulled out its contents, and choked back a gasp.

This was a serious matter indeed.

* * *

Byakuya, Ichigo, and Yoruichi had taken shelter in a nearby bar, the latter's catlike tendencies worrying her of the onset of the rain even after she had retransformed into a human form. Rugged Rukongai dwellers threw scalding glares over their shoulders from their stools and tables as the three shinigami huddled and whispered in a corner of the room. The most wary of their current setting, Byakuya shifted uncomfortably, the only one of the three to meet the stares. "We must find out who possesses that picture. If it is so likely for Unohana to have eyes and ears in various places, it would be best for us to move."

"Perhaps, but interrogating her won't get us far, especially if you're around if we do so," Yoruichi replied. "You should keep your distance from her, Byakuya."

He frowned. "Attacking Unohana Retsu will not have kept her immobile for very long—"

"She was _attacked?_" Yoruichi loudly questioned, provoking heads to turn in their direction. Byakuya looked backed between them, eyes narrowing.

"It was the only way to save him and Rukia," Ichigo interjected. "We just didn't know what she was doing to them. Nanao brought Rukia back to the estate, and Isane locked Unohana in a room and drugged her…or at least she said she would."

Yoruichi frowned. "When you said Unohana was taken care of, I would not have guessed you attacked her…This could complicate things."

"How?"

"Depending on the extent of the injuries, she could easily claim that Byakuya had her attacked, or that Renji attacked her, since they are no longer working together—or even that I did. And the truth could be equally, if not more distressing for our case. The Soul Society considers your place—your only place—to be protecting Karakura town as a substitute, Ichigo, not meddling in shinigami affairs over here."

"But she was holding them hostage!"

"I realize that," she replied. "But now there are a number of stories she could invent in her favor, and none of our counter tales would suffice to clear our names."

"Yet we would not now be standing here discussing resolutions if not for such intervention," interjected Byakuya. Yoruichi sighed.

"I know that, too." Another sigh, and she placed her head in her hands. "We've no choice but to at least restrain Unohana before she gets to someone else—but that 'we' does not include you, Byakuya," she added, quickly noting how swiftly he had straightened up.

"She holds the power to end everything I've—"

Yoruichi glared at the man and pushed him, catching him and Ichigo by surprise as Byakuya stumbled a few steps backward, once again arousing the attention of the drunken men around them. "You need to be as far away from that woman as possible. There's always the chance that she doesn't have the picture at all and is using someone else."

"She will soon destroy our credibility if something is not done."

"Of course she will, but it's not rational for you to go chasing her, either. Who was it who was sickened and blackmailed?"

"And who is it that has the most to lose?"

"I am not," Yoruichi hissed, placing arms akimbo, "about to argue with you. You may be angry, but there are some important other things that should be on your to do list at the moment—one of them being attending to your sister." Byakuya did not answer right away, so she took it as a sign to continue. "Ichigo and I will check on the status of the Fourth Division. _You _need some rest time, even if only a few minutes. Okay?"

Byakuya was still silent. Ichigo stared inquisitively between them, waiting for a change in expression, before the sixth division captain gave in. "I will meet you in front of the Fourth Division in an hour for an update," he said, making his way briskly for the exit.

She pouted, disapproving, and called after him, but the captain was gone. A sigh escaped her lips, and Ichigo patted her on the shoulder.

"He's going through a lot right now, Yoruichi-san."

"Oh I know. I just wanted him to take his mind off of what's happened, however briefly. I also want someone by Rukia's side, at least until you check back in with Isane. I don't have every confidence that Retsu will stay in her cage for long. Let's go. We don't have much time to waste." He nodded, and the two of them exited the bar, harsh faces staring them down as they did so.

* * *

The many members of the Fourth Division scrambled around like chickens with their heads cut off, bumping into each other and at times tripping over thin air. The cause of the confusion was not readily apparent, but Ichigo had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Unohana.

"This…is bad."

Yoruichi winced. "Clearly."

Ichigo approached a man close by, who was glancing from his left to his right, baffled and anxious. "What's happened here?"

At being address directly, the man jumped. He hesitated before replying, believing at first that the cat had spoken to him, then looked at Ichigo in hysterics. "She's gone! Taichou's gone!"

Scowling and frustrated, Ichigo asked, "How long ago?"

Yet before the man could respond, Isane appeared from around a corner, shouting out orders to a group of frantic lower seats. Spotting the substitute shinigami, she dashed towards them, rendering herself slightly out of breath from the frenzy.

"Kurosaki-san," she huffed, attempting to compose herself, "I'm sure you've heard by now, but Unohana-taichou's escaped! There was an explosion and—oh, I'm so naïve! I shouldn't have left her alone at all!" A fist tightened in a brief display of frustration.

"How long ago was it?"

"At least fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago. Oh!" she exclaimed again. "She must not have been weak enough to perform kidou spells! I'd thought the solution I'd given her while she was still unconscious would have taken care of that, but…"

Ichigo stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'll find her; you make sure everything gets in order here."

She cast her look downward. "I'm sorry…" She then ran off, heading down the hall to help a shinigami who had bumped into someone else holding a large stack of papers.

"She's probably on the hunt for Byakuya," said Ichigo, watching Isane distantly. Yoruichi shook her head.

"She couldn't be. She has no idea where he is, and I doubt the woman has enough patience to try to track him down on foot."

"Then where?"

Yoruichi slanted her eyes. "Higher authority, I'm afraid. We're going to need help—and I know someone who can give just that."

* * *

What had been inside the folder, Hinamori didn't know, but waiting for Unohana's arrival in the pressured silence made her want to. She hadn't questioned what it was that Unohana-taichou promised could get Renji suspended from his position, but it was peculiar that Byakuya was being targeted as well. He did not seem the type of person that would assist someone like Renji, at least.

What was more, Hinamori found herself not understanding Hitsugaya's warning. It wasn't as if Unohana had been incredibly secretive with her. If anything she had been helpful, motherly, and protective. He had to be wrong. He had to be.

Hinamori glanced over her shoulder as the door to the meeting chamber opened and the fourth division captain strode into the room, characteristically tranquil as she held her hands behind her back. She sent Hinamori a quick smile as Sasakibe shut the door behind her. When she did so, Hinamori felt her worry drift away. She was sure Unohana Retsu would make it all better.

"Good evening, soutaichou," said Unohana. "I thought I should come to support Hinamori-fukutaichou's request."

Yamamoto gave her a curt nod. "Are you in any ways knowledgeable as to how this came about?"

Unohana glanced at the manila envelope in his hand and forced back a proud smirk. "I was there when it happened, soutaichou." The elder's eyes widened. "I was there, but only as a witness. Kusajishi-fukutaichou is currently undergoing post-traumatic stress care within my division, so she can't speak on her behalf. Knowing this, Kuchiki-taichou had me targeted, and used Abarai-fukutaichou to do so." For dramatic effect, she paused herself and looked at Hinamori before lowering her gaze to the ground in an artificial display of shame. "He attacked me earlier today, falsely believing that I had the document he was looking for. I'd entrusted it to Hinamori in an effort to keep its location secret, but I knew once I was attacked that something had to be done.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou," she said, stepping forward, "I cannot simply allow this injustice to pass by unannounced. These are not actions that can be tolerated of a vice-captain and especially not of a captain," she hesitated only a fraction of a second before adding, "particularly those of nobility."

The captain-commander appeared stunned into silence, so she chose to quiet herself as well. Let him bask in all the details. Let him consider all the feasible means of action. He wouldn't want to do away with both vice and head of the same division when the Gotei was already down by three captains, but then, she had never intended for Renji to leave as she had promised Hinamori would happen. She would even suggest he stay if it helped the old man lean more towards cutting Byakuya out of the picture. She felt her excitement rattle her bones and twitch her fingers. He was going to learn, so very quickly.

Poor, poor, Kuchiki.

"Sasakibe."

"Yes, sir."

"Get a summons together for Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji. I'd like them here in no less than fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir."

Yamamoto's focus on his vice-captain, Unohana allowed herself a curt, impish smirk. The twitching of her fingers only increased, and she had to tighten her hands into fists to maintain the image of composure.

Bye-bye, Kuchiki.

* * *

Two hours had passed since Ichigo had carried her from Unohana's clutches. Grateful could not begin to describe how she felt about the impromptu rescue mission, yet at the same time Rukia felt a tinge of regret. She had been the toy Unohana and Renji felt they could simply toss around for the sake of control over her brother, and Rukia wanted to prove that things wouldn't go down so easily, not if she could help it, at least. Even now, as she stared at the ceiling and the walls of her bed room, Nanao beside her, Rukia couldn't help but feel she had been helpless to prevent her current condition.

"I'm sorry all of this has had to happen to you," Nanao started, having not said anything for the time Rukia related her story. "It's ridiculous. I mean, Unohana Retsu, of all people!" The increase in volume in the vice-captain's voice stole Rukia's attention as Nanao tightened the hand she had clamped on Rukia's wrist. "Soul Society's gone mad," she muttered, gaze downcast.

"The result of centuries of death and war and rebellion, I'm sure. Who wouldn't go crazy after seeing so much violence after having lived as long as the captain-commander?"

"That doesn't justify any of this, Rukia, or Renji's actions, either—"

"Renji," Rukia interrupted, frowning, "is an ass, confused, scared, and obsessed. He messed up and wants what he can no longer have."

Nanao found herself unable to reply immediately, struck by the incisiveness of the girl's words. "Hinamori-fukutaichou feels similarly, I've found."

Rukia heaved a sigh and repositioned herself on the bed to sit up with more comfort. Nanao instantly lent a hand, fearful the girl might further injure herself. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, having little more to do than lie in beds and such. I told you when you found me earlier that I overheard Renji last night, and that I feel bad for him, but…I don't know if I can forgive him, Nanao, not for this."

Nanao said nothing, but returned the girl's wistful gaze. "I understand Unohana used him, but he walked into it voluntarily. He truly believed that kidnapping me would force Nii-sama to have us married. And he really thought he could create these elaborate lies to deviate the suspicion, just like he did before Hinamori and I found out he was trying to date the two of us at the same time." Nanao raised her eyebrows, but Rukia continued. "I just…I want to forgive him this time, but it's hard, especially after all the damage he's done."

Silence lasted between them for some time after that, Rukia lost in wistful thought and Nanao unwilling to interrupt. She only observed as Rukia stared out of the window. "You know, I've never told anyone about what he did," Rukia commented absentmindedly. "I guess I just never wanted to think about it…"

"Don't feel obligated to say anything," Nanao started. "I don't want you to feel as if I'm prying into your personal life."

"Trust me, that's the least of my worries right now."

Nanao gave the girl a regretful smile. "Heh. Of course it is."

After another short, uncomfortable silence, Rukia spoke again. "I fell in love with Renji while we were in the academy together, but it was short lived. He became irritated quite often, usually with some of the guys who made fun of him, then with himself for not mastering certain skills as quickly as he wished. Eventually he began finding faults with me as well.

"Three months after we started dating, we got into arguments more frequently. We started seeing each other less and less, until my friends began asking if the two of us were still together. At the time I thought we were just going through a rough period, but I quickly learned that the time he wasn't spending with me he was spending with Hinamori.

"I had no idea any of this was this was going on until I spotted them one day, walking hand in hand. I approached him right then and there, which may not have been the best idea on my part. But within ten minutes, he lost both of us."

Rukia was then silent. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink into the many pillows that propped her up on her bed. "Every time I think back on it, I feel a bit guilty, and I know I shouldn't. He lied to both of us. But I eventually forgave him and over time, we became friends again. Hinamori, though, will probably always be bitter about it because he never apologized to her. It's just ridiculous."

Nanao bowed her head. "If I were you, I wouldn't be too willing to give him second chances."

"And I'm not. His confession only proved he conspired with Unohana to force me to be with him. But I can't help but think…rather, want…"

"Yes?"

Rukia's shoulders slumped and she looked away. "Renji is not an evil person. Irrationally desperate, yes, but when I think of his negatives, I also think about all the good he's done since long before we were shinigami, and it almost makes me want to—"

A knock at the door interrupted her, provoking from Rukia the automatic 'yes' in response.

"Nii-sama!" she exclaimed, all too surprised.

He did not respond, instead turning his attention on Nanao, who had begun to feel rather uncomfortable since he had entered the room. She stood.

"I'll be leaving now," she started, moving towards the door.

"Thank you for your help."

She stopped and smiled at him. "Of course, Kuchiki-taichou." Byakuya nodded, and she left the room. When she did, he turned his attention to his sister who stared back him with an expression of fervent worry.

"Are you well?" she questioned, wary that he had said little. Although when it came to her brother, such behavior was not entirely out of character. He nodded.

"And the others?"

Byakuya turned away from her then. "Yoruichi and Ichigo are pursuing Retsu."

He wouldn't even look her in the eye. What was he afraid of?

She already knew, though, and expected this reaction. For as fragile as she was and as much as she resembled her sister, Byakuya couldn't take it. None of their present predicament was his fault, and yet even he was no master at hiding emotion. But he was not the only one with guilt.

Before she knew it, she pulled herself out of bed, biting back the pain and shock from utilizing her injured ankle. Byakuya turned to her then, but by that time her arms were already around his waist. Only once before had she been so close to the man, and that was when he saved her from being impaled by Aizen's sword. But then, Byakuya had been bloody, sweaty, and aggressive, the normally faint scent of cherry blossoms on his sleeve whisked away by battle. It was not as it was now, his warmth enveloping her like a flannel blanket by a fireplace, and just as comforting.

Rukia forced back a shiver when he gently placed a hand on her head, coursing it through her hair so lightly that he seemed afraid to touch. They stood together in silence, save for the rhythmic beat of his heart in her ear.

"I'm…I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise," Rukia started after a while. "I meant to help you, and instead, I've only—"

"You are not a burden, Rukia," he interjected. "Never think of yourself as one."

When she looked into his eyes they were distant, forlorn. Perhaps regret, although Rukia sensed something more simple and compassionate in the tone that laced his words.

"I love you, too, Nii-sama."

She took a chance—and gratefully, when his eyes finally met hers, they were not alarmed but thankful.

A brusque knock at the door very quickly separated the two, Rukia stumbling over herself from the start. Picking her up bridal style to place her gently back in bed, Byakuya called out to the people at the door.

A petit maid creaked the door open gently. Following her inside the room was one of the First Division guards. The guards had been put in place to reinforce the centralized authority now under Yamamoto's command after the massacre of Central 46, at least until a new central could be established. Rukia watched her brother's gaze harden again as he stared at the other man.

The maid opened her mouth to introduce him, but she was quickly cut off. "Kuchiki Byakuya, your immediate presence has been requested by Yamamoto Genryusai. You are to accompany me directly to the First Division."

For the first time since her brother had entered the room, Rukia sensed his reiatsu, as if it were rekindled by irritation and a tinge of worry. "Why am I being summoned?" he asked, voice reassuming its characteristic stiffness.

"I'm sorry, but I have not been authorized to give an explanation—only to escort you."

The captain narrowed his eyes, approached the maid and, lowering his voice to a near whisper, said, "Take care of her and make sure she does not leave."

She nodded. Byakuya then strode over to the doorway, stopping only when Rukia called out his name. He glanced back briefly—too briefly for her to read any emotion—and then he was gone.

Rukia's shoulders slumped as she tore her gaze from the doorway. She knew the instant she saw the man's clothing that his coming was Unohana's doing. She had taken the picture from Renji and was using it to punish those who wouldn't give her what she wanted. The woman's own division wasn't even worth a fence when it came to slowing the inevitable, it seemed. _I only hope this means there will finally be some kind of resolution to this madness—if she's proven guilty, that is…_

"Rukia-sama?" called the maid, interrupting her thoughts. "Rukia-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like some tea?"

She returned a wistful smile. "Yes, yes I would. Thank you."

* * *

The captain of the Eleventh Division really did have more than enough stamina for his own good.

Renji had carried himself from the depths of the Rukongai all the way to the coming outskirts of his own division, and still Kenpachi chased him, Yachiru now comfortably seated on his shoulder and laughing as the outraged captain swung his sword around. Surrounding shinigami barely had enough time to register the captain's presence before they scurried out of his way, Renji not too far in front, resorting to twists and turns down narrow side streets to slow the berserk man.

The whole time all the sixth division vice could think of was Unohana. She really had snipped the tenuous marionette strings that had attached him to her grand master plan, and the fact sunk in deeper with every step Renji took.

And then there was Yoruichi's strange sort of encouragement right before the wild goose chase had started. Had she really meant it when she said he wasn't alone? Who was it that was going to help him, even if he confessed? Yoruichi herself couldn't exactly vouch for any of his good intentions, and Byakuya surely wasn't going to hear any of it—

Just ten feet behind him, a loud crash snapped Renji out of anxious thought. He made the mistake of turning around—and ran right into an open wooden door. The seconds it took him to recover was just enough for Kenpachi to catch up to his prey, sword high in the air in preparation for a remorseless blow. On the ground, Renji rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the blade, only to be stabbed at yet again. He rolled the other way and scrambled to his feet, this time, only to trip and fall in his haste.

Prepared for this, Kenpachi had already begun to swing his sword low when he stopped suddenly. Renji blinked, too anxious to do much else. An older shinigami donning a deep purple _shikakusho_ parried the captain's blow with two twin blades of equal length as his forearm. Renji swiftly picked himself off the ground, realizing all too quickly his "savior" had only been so because Kenpachi had been taken off guard. It likely wouldn't happen twice.

The eleventh division captain frowned, overtly fighting the urge to strike again as he stole glances at the purple garments. "The hell is this about?"

The man stood up from his parrying stance, sheathing his blades. "Under direct orders from Yamamoto Genryusai, I am to escort Abarai Renji to the First Division at once."

Despite himself, Renji gulped. He was afraid of that, and daftly unprepared. In front of him, Kenpachi grunted. "I've got my own score to settle with 'im."

The shinigami tensed. Renji watched as his hand twitched near the blades the Escorter clearly thought wouldn't have to be redrawn. "It will have to wait. This is an urgent and serious matter," he said, briefly eying Renji as he stressed the word 'urgent.' "Must I remind you of the severity of the consequences if one fails to comply, Zaraki Kenpachi-taichou?"

The addressed deepened his frown, off put by the blatant sarcasm and flamboyant display of authority. Grunting, Kenpachi slung his blade over his shoulder. "Yachiru! We're goin'."

The vice-captain whined with disappointment. "We are?" But she didn't wait for a response before jumping out of her watching place from above the miniature crowd that had gathered. With a final curious glance thrown in Renji's direction, Yachiru left, quickly catching up with her captain in the opposite direction.

Renji let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, the Escorter catching his eyes as he gathered himself. The look was curt but pitying. "Whatever you've done, it's quite unpleasant, isn't it?" The red head said nothing, following suit when the Escorter shrugged and flash stepped away. Only one thought hung in his mind as he headed to the First Division.

_I'm sorry, Rukia.

* * *

_

With nothing to do, Nanao had returned to her own division. Shunsui had commented on her absence with the characteristic manner of a light flirt, a sip of sake from a cup in his left hand, and quite the inebriated smile. And as was usual, she threw in some snide remark that Shunsui dramatically took as an insult, allowing her a temporary reprieve.

Except there would be no reprieve today, it seemed. When the vice-captain opened the door to the balcony of her office, she nearly fell backwards.

"Y-You!" she exclaimed, wide eyed as she stared at Ichigo, who was leaning against the railing with the traces of impatience etched onto his features.

"Please relax, Nanao. Ichigo won't bite." It was only then the startled woman took notice of the black cat at Ichigo's feet, silently swishing its tail to and fro.

"Yoruichi," she stammered in a quieter voice, glancing between them. "What…why—"

"Close the door. I would rather we not have an audience."

Nanao quickly did so, listening for footsteps behind her in case her captain had heard her rather audible exclamation. Alone with the other two shinigami on the balcony, she couldn't help but tense. Yoruichi had not been the harbinger of good news as of late.

"I was with Rukia as Kuchiki-taichou asked of me until a short time ago," she started, wary of the silence. "An Escorter summoned him to the First Division, though. What's going on?"

Yoruichi trotted to the far side of the balcony and stretched. "Unohana escaped from the Fourth Division and is likely executing one of her back up plans. She's probably looking to do some damage, since kidnapping and threatening didn't work."

"I still don't think I completely understand what's going on. I know that she has been manipulating others for her own personal gain, I know you know why, and I know you've come here because you want me to help. I think you and I both know it's not very fair for you to ask more of me if I have only a partial idea of what I've gotten myself into."

The cat did not respond immediately, choosing instead to lie down on the old wooden floor. The silence that followed unnerved Nanao, nearly eliciting from her a repeated request for answers.

"Unohana used Renji to blackmail and threaten Byakuya," Ichigo said finally, ignoring the warning gaze from the cat only feet away, "because she's obsessed with him."

Nanao blinked in surprise. "She…what?"

"Unohana Retsu has, quite literally, lost her mind," Yoruichi commented, rising from the floor. "Although arguably she already had a little over a century ago. We're likely only seeing the aftermath."

"You're serious about this," said Nanao, more in an effort to affirm she wasn't losing it as well.

"Of course! She's taken her crush on Byakuya about twenty shades farther than the average shinigami, and I'm afraid she's only going to continue to act negatively to his rejection. One way would be devise a way to have the Kuchiki clan disown him. Another would be to have the Seireitei banish him."

"Or both," Ichigo added.

"And what a more efficient way to get that done than going to the highest level of authority," said Nanao, taking a deep breath. "And somehow you would like me to intervene."

"Yes. You're a firsthand witness to Byakuya's assault in the library, and not directly involved in Unohana's plans. You can attest to Byakuya's innocence against any counter argument she cooks up."

"And what would she be likely to say?"

At that, Ichigo pulled out a tiny polaroid and held it out for Nanao to view. The woman tensed, disgusted, as she slowly brought the picture closer, as if to search for the flaw in its stunning realism.

"It's fake," Yoruichi interjected, sensing a question on the horizon. "We suspect Unohana or someone she is manipulating has a similar photo, also fake, with Byakuya where Renji is. You've got to reveal her lies."

Nanao was silent for a while as she allowed herself to absorb all of this new information. She was really going to enter the belly of the beast, wasn't she?

"What makes you think they'll take my side?" Nanao questioned, voice shaking. "That they will believe me?"

"Well," the cat began, "It's not as if they would credit a substitute shinigami or a deserter even more." It was the simplest thing in the world to her, Nanao realized. And at the point she knew she wasn't going to be able to back out of this situation. She had seen the attack and helped Byakuya escape. She had to testify. The Gotei 13 simply could not afford to lose another captain—particularly due to the juvenile selfishness of another captain.

"We must go," Yoruichi stated suddenly. "We hope you'll do what's right, Nanao. Come on, Ichigo."

Within a blink of an eye Yoruichi slinked away, and Ichigo disappeared in a flash. A nanosecond later, the door to the balcony opened, revealing a subtly curious Shunsui. Nanao quickly tucked away the picture that still flopped about in her hands.

"Oh! It's just you up here! I was sure you were entertaining guests," he started, stepping farther onto the balcony and subtly shifting his eyes about. Nanao took little notice and made her way past him.

"You guessed wrong, taichou," she said, already in the doorway. "In any case, I need to go. I've a few more errands to run."

"But you just got here!" piped her captain. "Don't leave yet, Nanao-chan…"

The door of the balcony slammed shut.

* * *

Byakuya entered the room, meeting Unohana's gaze before accounting for the other shinigami. There was a peculiar aura to her that sent a shiver down his spine. Renji was already there, though it seemed vaguely that he had lost his former hubris and replaced it with something more solemn. He had not even bothered to glance in Byakuya's direction as he entered the room. Yamamoto's address brought him out of his musings.

"Kuchiki-taichou, Hinamori-fukutaichou has presented me with a request to remove you and your vice-captain from your current positions in the Sixth Division. With the request," he held out the picture for Byakuya to see, "she contributes this document and Unohana-taichou's testimony. She claims she was attacked for having been thought to possess it."

At the mention of the attack, Byakuya shot her a glare before he could stop himself. He forced back a wave of fury in the form of light shivers as the woman gazed back, displacing his scorn with feigned, gentle worry and a hesitant glance. "She also claims that you, Abarai-fukutaichou, were the one to attack her earlier today. I'd like the both of you to tell me what has been going on, as these claims suggest highly inappropriate behaviour on your behalves."

"Indeed it does, Yamamoto-soutaichou," began Byakuya, quickly taking the floor in an eager desire to beat Unohana in her ludicrous game. "Therefore, allow me to correct the many flaws in Unohana Retsu's statement." The briefest expression of disgust reflected on Unohana's face at the lack of address by her title, but she quickly covered it up with a light cough.

"My vice-captain and I have been…at odds for the past few days, and in our last meeting, it was I who he attacked, not Unohana, for attempting to retrieve Kuchiki Rukia from his grasp. According to my knowledge, he and Unohana Retsu conspired to kidnap Rukia in order to manipulate my actions for their personal gain."

"That isn't true at all, soutaichou," piped the black haired woman in reply. "It's nothing more than a ploy for impunity. But I alerted the captains not too long ago that Kuchiki-_taichou_ and his sister were under my care in the Fourth Division for having come down with a common gustatory illness. Surely you remember?"

Yamamoto nodded as Byakuya bit back a retort. He couldn't believe this at all. She could not possibly expect to convince the captain commander that she had no part in this entire scheme, could she? Or was she so incensed that she was willing to do anything to get back at him?

"Kuchiki-taichou, did you not hear me? I'd like you to explain any proof you may have in regards to your story."

Byakuya opened his mouth to respond, but words failed him. What did he have left to say? He could argue the picture was a fake, but there was no telling where the other one was or if Ichigo would be listened to if he were brought in. Unohana would likely think of a valid excuse to prevent him from coming in, in any case. Nor could he hope to request Rukia's help. After all, who was to say he hadn't threatened her into saying what he wanted her to say?

"Kuchiki-taichou, your response."

He took another deep breath, avoiding eye contact with the captain commander. "…I—"

"He's telling the truth, Yamamoto-soutaichou." Renji's arms shook as he became aware of his captain's incredulous gaze. Not daring to meet it, Renji stepped forward and cleared his throat in an attempt to quell anxious nerves. "Kuchiki-taichou is telling the truth. Unohana-taichou and I planned to kidnap Kuchiki Rukia, and she gave me that picture when I agreed to help. It's fake."

Unohana gaped at him, frozen to her spot as the color drained from her face. A small, hiccupping sound escaped her throat before she pulled herself together and declared, "I would never do such a thing! It's a cover story, I swear it!"

After observing her dramatic reaction, Byakuya understood why she thought she could get away with it all. She'd banked on Renji's desire to avoid the punishment of conspiring with her, even after she had cut him from the operation. Then it would be that much easier to deprive Byakuya of any possible evidence. The sixth division captain let the minutest of smirks tug at his lips. With Renji's willingness to face the consequences, her defense had almost entirely crumbled at her feet.

His vice-captain didn't seem to be coming to the same conclusion, however. His gaze was downcast, shoulders slumped, as if depressed. Byakuya felt a pang of sympathy, but was unsure as to if he should entertain it. Renji _had_ kicked him when he was at his worse, and had exploited his most humiliating of moments just so he could naïvely try to marry Rukia. It was only right that he suffer the consequences. Those were the rules. And yet…

"Cover story for what, Unohana-taichou? I wouldn't just follow Kuchiki-taichou's orders if I thought there was no good reason to them, especially if they were to attack another captain. Although you in particular deserve it."

The last remark thrown in so nonchalantly, Unohana flared with renewed anger. "You…! How dare you—!"

"We kidnapped Rukia and she even had me go as far insinuate I was in love with Kuchiki-taichou to throw anyone with suspicions off track," Renji mechanically continued, sensing a reprimand on Yamamoto's lips for acting out of line. "But he came after us, and when he became sick, Unohana-taichou 'nursed' him to health and covered up the sudden disappearances with the notice. She then forced the picture from me after threatening to harm Rukia and told me I was 'of no use to her.' In all honesty, Yamamoto-soutaichou, I wouldn't be surprised if she was using Hinamori, too—"

At the sound of her name, the girl seemed to snap out of her ongoing hypnotic spell, incredulous to nearly the point of complete disbelief of the accusations sent Unohana's way, but the captain interjected immediately. "Shut-up, shut-up, you liar! Have you any idea what you're suggesting? Hinamori is innocent! She saw something wrong with you and Kuchiki-taichou's actions and came to report it! Isn't that right, Hinamori-chan?"

The girl was silent, although she began glancing about the room, adeptly avoiding the older woman's gaze. So impatient for a reply was Unohana that she called out to her again in a frantic, high-pitched tone. Hinamori jumped, involuntarily bringing their gazes together. Sheer apprehension blanketed the young girl's expression as she glanced quickly between Renji and Byakuya and Yamamoto.

"A-Actually…" she hesitated, risking one last look at the fourth division captain's swiftly darkening countenance. "I didn't know anything about what Kuchiki-taichou and Abarai-fukutaichou are talking about. I don't even know what's on the picture. I was given the envelope yesterday and told to give it to you, Yamamoto-soutaichou, when I had the signal, and…that's why I'm here."

Unohana Retsu's movements thereafter were so trained and immediate that Hinamori hadn't the opportunity to react. Suddenly, the captain was upon her, furious and precariously restrained as she tightened a hand around the young girl's wrist and yanked her closer.

"That is _not_ why she's here! She told me she wanted Abarai Renji removed from his position because of his actions! She _told_ me!"

"And yet you called her innocent. I believe these statements of yours contradictory, Unohana Retsu."

There it was again. Byakuya was smirking with his voice like he did before she kissed him. Her eyes flared with rage as she caught his remark and equally caustic expression. Not only was he rejecting her, but mocking her and making her appear idiotic at the same time. But she had gotten over that much. From now on, there would be no more sweet cherry blossom scent, no more protective aloofness, no more hair fluttering in the breeze to be admired from far away, no more hating Hisana. Because today, oh precious, glorious day! Kuchiki Byakuya would cease to exist in more ways than one. She would see to that.

"I am _not _the one at fault! It was you who kissed Kusajishi Yachiru and threatened me if I told others! _You! I swear it!_"

"There's another picture similar to the one in your hands, Yamamoto-soutaichou," Renji added, arms folding and eyes narrowing as he watched her façade crack to pieces, "with my image in Kuchiki-taichou's place. It's a fake, too."

"_You can't even prove that!_"

"But I can."

Lost in the heat of raging accusations, the shinigami had barely registered Nanao's reiatsu as she entered the room. Attention fixated on her, she approached and presented the captain commander with a small, rectangular paper.

"You…" Unohana whispered, eyes wide and beginning to glaze over, but no one took heed.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou, any claim Unohana-taichou has made to her innocence thus far is completely false. I by chance came across this picture, which is a fake as is the other. I was present in the Fourth Division's library when she and Abarai-fukutaichou subdued Kuchiki-taichou and brought Kuchiki Rukia into a hidden room. I also participated, along with Isane-fukutaichou and substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo, in subduing Unohana-taichou as Kuchiki-taichou and his sister were removed from the premises. Of course, evidence being her presence here this very moment, the Fourth Division is as we speak in a state of disarray as a result of their captain's escape, of whom Isane-fukutaichou intended to maintain in her control until further action could be taken."

Stunned into silence, Unohana said nothing, choosing instead to seethe. "I implore you to investigate this matter as thoroughly as you please, but I would strictly advise taking Unohana-taichou into custody and twenty-four hour surveillance before doing so."

"_No!_"

Everyone turned to her before the short echo of the lone syllable died away. She looked back at them, paralyzed with rage and desperate to dispel the energy.

"_You're all liars!_"

Hinamori slowly backed away, disturbed and frightened. Unohana flung her the briefest of glances before connecting her gaze with the rest of the room's occupants.

"And _you_, Ise Nanao…I should have killed you when I had the chance!" She lunged for the girl, zanpakutou drawn, and it was Byakuya who defended before Nanao had time to properly react.

Unohana grinned wildly. "_Byakuya!_" She pushed against his blade with surprising force, pushing him back slightly. He glared, beginning to overpower her when Sasakibe jumped between the two, halting Byakuya's movements with the element of surprise. Unohana attempted to push past him but was thrown backwards with the same amount of force. He followed up with kidou—the binding six rayed star—but it missed by a hairbreadth of distance as she lunged instead for Byakuya, a manic look about her.

Renji intercepted her path just as the same binding spell was sent in Unohana's direction. Unable to see it coming, both of them became bounded by the spell, the red head still prepared to parry her blow. It did not come, however; the unexpected force of the second spell knocked away her grip of her sword, and it dropped to the ground with a clash.

"_Insane! All of you, insane!_" she declared, fearless against Renji's blade, which he himself had to draw back a few inches to avoid preemptive wounding. "_I've done nothing wrong!_"

A loud scrape against the ground alerted her to movement. Behind Renji, the sixth division captain had picked up her own zanpakutou by the hilt. "Byakuya! Tell them! _Tell them I did nothing wrong!_"

Byakuya did not even spare her a glance as he handed the sword to Sasakibe, although Nanao did. Yet she instantly regretted doing so, unable to repress the unnatural shiver down her spine as Unohana turned her desperate, callous glare onto her, bleeding hatred.

"_You bitch,"_ she spat. "This is all _your _fault, _all of—_"

"_Be quiet!_" the Captain-Commander bellowed, shocking the woman into an immediate silence. "_What you've done is a disgrace to the captain's title!_"

Unohana narrowed her eyes to thin slits, but her mouth remained shut as Yamamoto regained part of his composure. "If the accusations presented before me by Ise Nanao, Abarai Renji, and Kuchiki Byakuya can be proven veritable, then there is no choice but to relieve you from your position as captain of the Fourth Division. Until a proper trial and investigation can be conducted, you will be imprisoned. Is that understood?"

"…"

"Unohana Retsu!"

"…I don't think so."

The voice was so tiny that it was barely audible by anyone at all, save Renji. In the second he blinked and turned his face toward her, she used one hand to grab his throat and the other to catch his sword as it fell from his loosened grip. Unprepared for her swift action, Renji froze for that one second, then began to choke, her unnaturally powerful grip quite easily cutting off his air supply. Still managing to choke him, Unohana touched his neck with the blade of his own zanpakuto, then pushed one of her legs between his, making it even more difficult to move in the tight, six ray bind.

Around them, shinigami unsheathed their zanpakuto, alarmed and ready to fight, though hesitant with the unlikely hostage. "Make any movement at all and I'll kill him." She tightened her choking hand briefly, but warningly, inducing a short round of gags and coughs on Renji's part. He attempted to reach up to the offending hand, but he already felt lightheaded…

"Release him. _Now_," Byakuya demanded, stern eyes locked onto hers.

"_Does it look like you're in a position to make orders, Byakuya?_" she wildly exclaimed. Renji wheezed, eyes shut. "You're about to lose you're vice-captain—I wouldn't be so demanding if I were you."

The audience remained quiet, although they grew increasingly anxious as Renji's gagging grew more frequent. She was toying with them.

"Release the bind," she finally said. No one did anything at first. _"Release the bind!_"

It was done. She instantly tightened the hand against Renji's neck and pressed the blade closer, just breaking the skin enough for a tiny trickle of blood to travel down to his chest.

"Hinamori!"

The girl jumped in her spot, shaking. "Open the door."

Hinamori did not hesitate. When Unohana heard the tell-tale creak, she gripped Renji even tighter. This time his hands flew up in an attempt to pry her away, but he stopped when the blade pushed deeper.

"You are not exempt," she hissed into his ear. "If you move around too much, I'll cut you." The crowd watched as she slowly backed towards the door of the main chamber.

"It should not have gotten this far," she stated, eyes trained on Byakuya. "Pity your sister will have to pay for your arrogance."

His eyes widened instantly; Unohana disappeared from the room, leaving Renji coughing and gasping where her feet had been. Byakuya flash stepped after her, ignorant to the calls of his name and pleads to wait that sounded behind him.

* * *

The silence within the Kuchiki Estate's main hall was peculiar; indeed, there were no servants or other family members to be seen at all—no shifting or movement from the floors above, and certainly no activity where she was. Unohana smirked to herself, navigating the complex series of halls and rooms with practiced ease. Her prey was somewhere among them, innocently hidden, and waiting for the now ex-captain to complete what she started in the Fourth Division.

Murder.

She stopped in front of a bedroom door, or at least what she assumed was one, barely sensing Kuchiki Rukia's reiatsu on the other side. She knocked.

"Kuchiki-sama," she called out, raising her voice a few octaves. "I've come to attend to your bandages."

After a few short moments of what appeared to be consideration, Rukia gave her consent. Unohana could not suppress another smirk. This was entirely too easy. Byakuya and the others had likely been detained by the guards; Yoruichi and that ryoka boy were likely trying to solve a false lead; no servants of any kind could be found—and here she was, Kuchiki Rukia, a sitting duck.

When the door opened, Unohana shoved Rukia to the floor and shut the door behind her. "Hello, dear. Sorry I didn't let you know I was coming earlier. I thought it would be best to surprise you."

Scowling, Rukia kept her mouth shut and her eyes trained on the woman as she closed the distance between them. "I'm _speaking _to you, Rukia; I believe a response is in order."

"Like hell it is."

With a harsh slap and her body slammed against the wall, Rukia learned not to hiss at Unohana Retsu.

"You'll do what I tell you and when I tell you, or so help me, I'll—"

Eyes flared to life like a fire in dead wood. Rukia hadn't lost any of that trademark confidence, and Retsu was going to make sure it cost her.

"You'll do what? You claim you can torture me, but what have you really done? You won't do anything to me because you're scared of what Nii-sama would do to you! Heartless woman…You don't even love him—for you he's just some sick sexual fixation!"

And shivering as she picked herself off the floor, Rukia added: "I hate you, Unohana Retsu. I really do."

Unohana did not immediately reply. She had developed something akin to contemptuous disgust for the girl, and perhaps even a little bit of envy. Who was she to criticize her planning, this girl too helpless to save herself? Who was she to scorn her rather intense love for Kuchiki Byakuya, this girl who still failed to understand what her brother sacrificed to care for her each day?

Morality she always had, and simply applied logic to bypass consent. He was destroying himself with monotonous sadness, that man. He saw the death of love, and watched it in his mind over and over and over again. If she had no morals, would she be kind enough to help him out of such a stupor? She would teach him love again, and in the end he would be grateful.

…Or at least that had been her original intent. Byakuya was a lost cause now. He put her through far too much over the years, and Unohana refused to put up with it any longer. She wanted him more than she could bear, and if could not return the feelings, he would die.

But first, his sister.

She lunged for Rukia, thrashing and flailing about. Rukia's head slammed into the base of the wall, then reeled back as Retsu jerked her around by her hair. The world was stars and rainbows, and only the voice sliced through her distorted fairy tale view like a shade of cold night.

"That's what I think of your opinion, you disgraceful little shit!"

A shrill cry in a hushed whisper. The dawn of warning. The howl of a monster.

"Now get on your feet, or I'll drag you out of this room with my fingernails."

But the bedroom door was thrown open before she could act, and the tip of a rather long blade met her forehead. Unohana turned, the smile quickly dissolving.

"What a terribly defensive expression you've got on your face. It's not very becoming of you."

Saying nothing, the nobleman advanced, forcing the woman to step backwards. "The way you point Senbonzakura makes me think you actually want to hurt me," the woman taunted, refusing to break eye contact. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

Having partially regained her balance, Rukia grabbed him instinctively when he attempted to prove Retsu wrong, yanking him backwards with just enough force to make him stumble. The rage in his reiatsu, however, did not falter. Rukia felt him shaking in her grip.

"Now, now, we needn't get violent," she cooed. "Why not we have a little chat, hmm?"

"Your mockery is sickening," Byakuya spat in return. "I've had about as much of it as I can stand." His sword remained pointed. "Get out."

Unohana raised an eyebrow. "Don't be so full of yourself. I'm hardly here for you."

"_Get out._"

Unohana's attention flittered from Rukia to Byakuya, his glare so rich and passionate that she almost laughed. "What a harsh tone! Would Hisana approve of your speaking to women like that?"

Byakuya swung for her, breaking away from Rukia's grip with a feral growl hanging in his throat. Unohana, having predicted such a reaction, knowingly dodged both that blow and the one that followed, a smirk painted on her lips.

She had not predicted he would keep attacking after that.

The realization struck her seconds before he tried to impale into the corridor wall. The smile slid from her face as she tumbled backwards, tripping and crawling and scrambling to get up as Rukia's frantic pleads to stop echoed helplessly in the background. She had seconds to move, seconds. She rolled over instinctively as Senbonzakura was hauled downwards into the spot she had been, both hands on the sword.

Byakuya no longer wanted to just catch her. He wanted her dead, and the raw satisfaction of having done it with little more than hatred and a blade.

She pulled herself up to run, feeling powerless to do so against a shunpo master in his own house. As expected, she had traveled no further than five feet before the captain stood before her, chillingly expressionless and sword poised for another attack. Behind her, Rukia slowly pulled herself closer towards them, biting back the pain in her wounded ankle.

"What are you waiting for, Byakuya?" Retsu wheezed, chest heaving. "If you truly wanted to kill me, you would have done it already."

Byakuya did not answer her question; it was then that she noticed the blood staining his clothing near his ankle, along with the set of teeth attached to the same spot. The teeth sank deeper, warningly, before letting go completely, causing the man to wince, but not move. A small black cat revealed itself from behind him, glaring between Unohana and Byakuya. The latter, well aware by now of the cat's presence, still did not turn to look at it.

Unohana frowned. So Yoruichi Shihouin had been her unfortunate savior. As if on cue, the cat eyed Unohana with what could only be called a vicious scowl. "This ends here, Unohana Retsu."

"Under whose authority?"

She paused then, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Behind her stood Ichigo, and rather close, his zanpakuto speaking for the anger that bubbled about in his reiatsu. Turning back to Byakuya and the cat, Unohana felt herself begin to laugh despite herself. It was an eerie, dissonant sound that froze the movement in the room.

When she finally stepped forward, Byakuya did not take a chance, summoning a kidou spell that caused temporary but instant paralysis. Even then Unohana smiled as she fell to the floor, her lips touching his in silent mockery. It was swift enough to catch Byakuya by surprise. He fell backwards quickly with her added weight on top of him, but Unohana was unconscious before they hit the ground.

Behind them, a loud clamoring of feet and voices erupted. A swish of purple robes and red hair alerted Yoruichi as to whom. She withdrew as Ichigo helped Rukia stand without the aid of the wall. Sasakibe stepped out from behind the group, confused when he eyed the two on the floor.

Byakuya was already standing, however—or trying to. He seemed suddenly much weaker than he had only minutes before when he was chasing after Retsu. He stumbled over her, nearly tripped, briefly regained his balance, and whispered, "It's…over." Then his knees buckled and gave way, the world around him descending into black.

* * *

Early afternoon rays of sun danced between the glass and pane of the windows of the Tenth Division, just bright enough to blind the captain from adding his signature to what seemed to be the two hundredth sheet of paper in just one hour. As per usual—and possibly more so since Unohana Retsu's trial a week ago—his vice-captain had grown rather bored of the work she was assigned to do and felt it more fitting to play games—taking a break, she called it.

Having thrust open the blinds under the pretext of their shading of the sun "the main cause of his constant aura of gloom, doom, and despair," Matsumoto Rangiku then proceeded to make herself comfortable in the divan at the far side of her captain's office, pouring herself a third cup of sake from the bottle she had, yet again, hidden in one of his cabinets.

"Matsumoto," he grunted through grit teeth, knowing he would have to kick her out for the fourth time that day. "I have to work."

"Oh, you work too much, taichou," she said, waving her sake hand about. "Relax a bit!"

"…"

"Ah! That reminds me." She was suddenly upright, cup on the floor. Hitsugaya watched as she pulled out a small, rectangular machine and began maneuvering its buttons. He opened his mouth to inquire what it was, but stopped himself before he could utter a sound. She would never leave if he seemed at all interested.

"I found this the other day during my mission in the human world. Somehow, it can freeze and record images, and you can play them back right here! I'm sure Hinamori will love it!"

He couldn't suppress his interest after that. He silently approached her, wincing and straining his eyes to see the illuminated image that showed up on the machine's screen. When he saw it, he paled.

"Isn't it cute?" his vice-captain cooed, smiling from ear to ear. "Holding hands—the two of you look wonderful together!"

Hitsugaya tried and failed to suppress an irritated twitch. "Don't you—"

Yet before he could finish his sentence, Rangiku had sprung out of the chair with renewed vigor, snatching the image out of his sight as she sprinted out of the door.

"Look, look here!" she exclaimed, accosting a shinigami walking down the corridor. "Hitsugaya Toushirou officially has a girlfriend! Make sure you tell _everyone!_"

Hitsugaya winced as irritation bubbled beneath his skin. "_Matsumoto!_"

Some things never changed.

* * *

Unohana Retsu had been found guilty on all accounts, and although the evidence was there, Hinamori still could not believe what she was hearing even when she heard it. Unohana had taken care of her and comforted her, and for this to happen…Surprised couldn't even begin to describe how she felt. The woman had advised her against revenge whilst plotting her own to an extent much greater than Hinamori could ever dream of attempting.

Stubborn in her own way, she hadn't wanted to believe Hitsugaya when he warned her. His theory was wrong, but his message was true. Hinamori found herself regretting that he always put himself on the line to save her.

And then there was what she had thought to do to Renji, over something so trivial…The vice-captain massaged her temples and took a deep breath. It'd been a week, and still she could think of little else. She wanted desperately to move on. Unohana was jailed, Hitsugaya was content, and Renji…Renji she needed to talk to.

"Hinamori!"

She stopped and turned abruptly, dropping folders in her haste. Quickly she tried to pick them up before she could identify the voice, only to look up at Renji, who had run to her aid and now knelt in front of her. She paused, caught between the decision to recoil completely or express genuine surprise.

"Hinamori—"

"What do you want?" she spat, snapping instinctively. "Say it quickly and leave."

He gulped down her brusqueness. "I wanted to…to apologize."

She blinked, caught off guard, so Renji quickly continued. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you, and lied to you, especially all those years ago…"

Hinamori only looked on, gathering her papers and standing upright. "Feeling remorseful, are we?"

"Hinamori—"

"Men," she muttered to herself, briefly glancing away. "All I wanted from you was an apology, you know."

Renji blinked, having expected a much more passionate response. "Hinamori?"

She turned back to him instinctively, only to look away again. "I too owe you an apology, for a lot. If I had known Unohana-taichou was using me, I…I wouldn't have gone so far." She took a deep breath, clutching tighter the files in her arms. "She lied to us and manipulated our emotions. So for the sake of peace, I forgive you. Although I still can't tolerate your arrogance."

Renji didn't say anything at first in an attempt to hold back a round of laughter. Observing this, Hinamori frowned. "What?"

He couldn't stop himself then, erupting into a fit of chuckles and snickers. "What?" she repeated.

"'It's your arrogance I can't tolerate' says the squirt with her forehead wrinkled and nose stuck in air. Heh, arrogance, huh? Look who's talking!"

Hinamori gaped at him. "I am not a…! What are you even—?"

"Here you go. I think these belong to you," Renji replied, continuing to snicker as he handed her the rest of her folders. She extended her hand mechanically, mouth ajar as she watched him walk away.

She pouted before yelling, "Abarai Renji, I am not a child!" to which she only received a nonchalant hand wave. Sighing, she stared after him.

_Thank you, Renji._

* * *

The light was still far too bright for sensitive eyes. She groaned and pulled the covers over her, but her body could not deny that it was time to get out of bed. Moving around was easier since Isane had taken care of her ankle, but the pain remained enough to make it unpleasant.

She pushed away the thoughts that said she was simply being too lethargic to deal with the world even a week after the drama that was Unohana Retsu had died down. Proven guilty, she was imprisoned and sentenced even harsher after outright attempting murder. Rukia couldn't remember how long her sentence was, except that it was rather lengthy and she was only allowed out of her cell if her abilities were needed—and even then she was to be escorted and coerced into doing it. Rukia did not believe the sentence harsh enough for all the agony the woman put her and others through, but it would do for the sake of peace.

And Renji…he, too, had a peculiar punishment, thought that she knew was due to her brother's influence. Confessing had done Renji a lot more good than she thought it could. Somehow, Byakuya had managed to forgive him—at least partially, if he argued against jail time for something significantly less harsh. What his punishment was assuaged to, exactly, Byakuya wouldn't tell her, although every time she asked she saw a tug of a smirk at his lips. Rukia was contently surprised her brother was getting so much amusement out of it. He arguably had suffered the most from the entire ordeal.

Yet whether she forgave him was another case entirely.

Very vividly in her mind remained the image of him kissing her in the library, and keeping her there against her will. Of course, juxtaposed to that was his argument with Unohana and the revelation that she contorted his mind just enough to convince him he could get away with kidnapping her for his selfish purposes. And then to that, the pure fact that he willingly confessed to what he'd done…Rukia had done a lot of thinking in that past week, being too lazy to do much else, and could not identify any coercing factor to get him to confess, not unless she was missing something. So, she hoped, it was safe to assume he was remorseful. But…

Rukia wanted to forgive him. She really did. A large part of her knew that he jumped on an opportunity that he thought he would never have again because she was dating someone else. But the extent to which he had gone to get something lost to begin with…Rukia was not sure she wanted a friend with the willingness to go so far for such selfish reasons. Then again, rejecting his attempt to mend things now could sow the seeds for another Unohana Retsu a century from now, and with as long as shinigami lived, that may as well be tomorrow.

Rukia sighed, throwing the covers off of her and staring at the ceiling. She hadn't made any progress deciding what to do about Renji in the past week, and she wasn't going to by staying in bed.

A knock at the door jolted her upright. "Come in!"

The door to her bedroom creaked open, revealing a maid with a tray of food. "Good morning, Kuchiki Rukia-sama. I hope I'm not too late."

"No, not at all," Rukia replied, enjoying the welcoming scent of brunch. "I just woke up, in fact."

The maid nodded, carefully placing the tray on the stand beside her bed. "Good. There is a young man waiting for you downstairs. He said he'd like to speak with you."

Rukia paused mid-bite. "Young man?"

The maid nodded. "Yes. He said he was in no rush, but the young these days…Ah, well, do enjoy your breakfast. I will inform him you'll be down shortly, if that is alright."

"Yes, that'll be fine," Rukia replied automatically, barely listening. The maid bowed and left the room. Ichigo would not be patient enough to wait for her to finish eating, no matter how much he loved her. Which just left Renji, out of probable choices, at least.

Sure enough, when she descended the steps fifteen minutes later, Renji was sitting patiently on a couch, facing away from her. She gave a light cough and he turned around immediately, then looked away. She prayed it wasn't an act.

He stood and two maids appeared, ready to offer refreshments, but Rukia requested privacy. They were alone quickly. No one said anything at first. Rukia had to admit she hadn't much to say to him at the moment. A lot had happened since they'd spoken actual words to each other.

Renji tried first, approaching her but keeping a respectable distance. "Rukia, I…I wanted to—"

"Apologize? Yes, well I know you're sorry. What else have you got to say?" It hadn't been her intention to snap at him, but something about his remorseful demeanor was setting her on edge. Yet she was not expecting him to get on his knees and ask for forgiveness—precisely what happened next.

"I'll understand if you want nothing more to do with me," he began, "but I thought the friendship we had before all this was worth too much to just give up on. I figured I had to try."

Rukia stepped in closer. "Even if I forgave you, it could be decades before I could trust you again. You caused a lot of damage."

"…I know."

She kneeled in front of him and raised his head from his chin. He looked up instinctively but dropped his eyes shortly after.

"Look at me, Renji."

He did. With a solemn gaze she searched his eyes, hesitant to believe him. Yet all she saw was the spikey-haired brat that followed her throughout her Rukongai days and was there when she needed him to be. The relationship could never be rebuilt, but the friendship…Rukia heaved a sigh.

"Stand up."

When he did, much to his surprise, she flung her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest. "You idiot. Never do this to me again. Ever."

He smiled despite himself and hugged her as well. "I won't. I promise."

They let go of each other, Rukia using a sleeve of her bathrobe to wipe tears away. "Good. Now go away."

He let out a curt chuckle, nodded, and left the room, after which Rukia sunk to the floor and leaned her head against the wall. She took a deep breath. Now, at least, she could sleep peacefully.

* * *

In the garden of the Kuchiki estate Byakuya wandered, soothed by the cool spring winds and the aroma of fresh flowers. He felt more relaxed than he had or would for a while. In a few more days he would be back at work in his own division, having finished recuperating from overexertion, but even thinking that far ahead seemed tiring.

He sat down on one of the garden's many benches—and jumped.

Yoruichi's laugher resounded, having hidden behind the bench, withdrawn her reiatsu, and placed her fisted hand right where he sat. Byakuya was not as amused.

"There, there, Byakuya-bo," she said between chuckles. "Laughter aids relaxation, as well." He rolled his eyes as she took over the bench, stretching out and making herself comfortable. "If you must know, Renji told me he would be donning the outfit you're forcing him to wear to work for the next year. I have to see it before I leave the Soul Society, you see. Ichigo said he would be here as…ah! There he is."

On cue, Ichigo joined the elder shinigami, having entered the garden from one of the rooms of the estate.

"Just in time! The show should be beginning soon." Byakuya sighed to himself. So much for his proposed meditation.

"Renji and his garments, Byakuya and his chocolate…ah, yes, this will be fun."

Byakuya's eyes flashed. "He told you…?"

Yoruichi smirked. "I may have had to coerce it out of him a bit."

"_Yoruichi_."

"All in good fun, though, so don't get too angry. Besides, I'm sure Ichigo would love to hear the story as you eat."

"There is no story, Yoruichi."

"Oh, come on, don't be that way, Byakuya-bo," she said before giving him a sideways smile. "If you ask me, I think Ichigo deserves to know how you became addicted to chocolate. And I know you haven't forgotten everything."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "There's a story?"

"No," Byakuya interjected resolutely. Yoruichi gave him a chastising look. At that moment, another door slide open. Yoruichi's smile grew wild. Ichigo's jaw dropped. Byakuya was unable to stifle a knowing grin as Renji stepped out in an entirely too tight neon pink pencil skirt, yellow high heels, and a neon green sequined shirt, hair released from its usual ponytail for added effect.

"Kuchiki-taichou, I have your box of Godi—" He cut himself off, eying the unexpected visitors. Ichigo couldn't stifle his laughter; Yoruichi made obnoxiously loud cat calls. Renji's shoulders slumped. Today was supposed to be easy—no work, no mortification. He sighed.

"Well now!" she exclaimed. "Aren't you attractive!"

"Shut-up," Renji murmured, scowling.

"Oh don't do that, Renji! You'll get wrinkles. For us women it's more of a pout—you'll learn soon enough, though, I'm sure."

Renji rolled his eyes, thankful that Ichigo was laughing too hard to make a comment. Yet before he could make another move, Yoruichi snatched the gold and brown box from his hand.

"Box of Godiva chocolate, eh?" she questioned, her smirk widening. "Fifty pieces of one hundred percent pure white and milk chocolate. Fifty delicious pieces that you are never going to—oi!"

Byakuya snatched the box from the ex-captain's hands. "Don't even think about it. And you," he said, eyeing Renji with the smallest upturn of his lips, "can leave." Renji nodded, strutting by the best he could in shoes he could barely stand in. Ichigo could do nothing but laugh.

"Does Rukia know about this?" he asked once Renji left.

Byakuya shook his head. "She will soon enough, however. …! Why you—!"

Yoruichi smirked, victorious in having snatched the box of chocolate and disappeared into the estate before Byakuya could react. He was naturally rather irritated when she stepped back into the garden less than five minutes later.

"If you want the chocolate," she cooed, "you've got to tell Ichigo the story."

"_There is no story_," Byakuya hissed, glaring daggers at Yoruichi.

"Yes there _is_. Ichigo should know. And on any account, it's one of the funniest stories I know, and we could all use a laugh."

Byakuya allowed himself a rather vocal sigh.

"The box is yours as soon as we finish!"

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Tell it, then," he replied, his voice now a murmur.

Yoruichi cheered.

* * *

**End of chapter eight.**

**~Twi**


	9. This is Not Addiction

Hinamori's Cookies

By: Twilight's Blade

**Chapter nine: This Is Not Addiction**

* * *

"That, by far, has to be the most ridiculous story I have ever heard." Folded arms, tapping foot, and narrowed eyes, she was the embodiment of 'skeptic.'

He didn't bother to cast a glance her way. "I assure you, it is true. I haven't the time for your lies, either. So if you would simply—"

"Lies? Are you saying I'm crazy when _you_ believe eating chocolate will inhibit your training?"

Byakuya struggled not to wince, instead forcing his irritation into the tight fist hidden behind his back. The logic was perfect. There was certainly no need to further press the matter. But he knew Yoruichi well enough by now. He was better off flash stepping to the other side of the Seireitei than arguing the idea with her—despite, of course, that he had yet to win any of their shunpo contests.

"I'm not in the mood for your childish babbling," he snarled, the impatience outlet having only marginal success.

An impish grin tugged at her lips. "Oh? Then maybe I have something that will putyou in that mood." She stepped up and he backed away accordingly.

"Yoruichi." The chastising tone. Not that she cared. So Kisuke convinced him that eating chocolate could eliminate his reiatsu and he'd actually believed it. Oh brilliant torture! The pleasure she would get out of seeing his startled face once the truth was revealed.

Another step forward, another step backward.

"_Yoruichi_." The warning tone. Of course, this was an experiment, too, so she had to be careful. Kisuke had already warned her not to have too much fun lest she mess things up. But being a young and powerful Kuchiki made Byakuya incredibly confident, if not arrogant, and equally naïve. If only she could read his mind…

Another step backward, and then, a wall. He flinched; her smirk grew wider. "Honestly, Byakuya-bo, what do you plan on doing with that oh-so-intimidating tone of yours? Surely not _run_."

"And what, exactly, do you plan on doing? Surely it is not to _catch_ me." The comment and his immediate disappearance caught her off guard. Shaking her head, she followed, the distance between them mere inches apart in a matter of seconds. Suddenly changing route, she picked up her pace and took a roundabout path to the shed Byakuya was making his way towards. He turned to check his distance from the woman, realizing all too late that she had disappeared. Alarmed, he swiveled back around, barely dodging a haphazard grab for his clothing as Yoruichi lunged from behind her temporary hiding place. She swiftly vanished from view, only to reappear at his feet with a spin kick that caused Byakuya to back flip and flatten himself against the building's side. Byakuya scoured the area, the leisurely flutter of bright pink sakura petals from the trees to the ground the only evidence of the chase.

Byakuya scowled. "Show yourself! I am not here to play these games with you!"

"Really now? Is that why you ran away when I hadn't initiated a chase?" He jerked himself off of the wall and looked to the roof, but there was no one. The woman had hidden herself, exciting even more irritation from the young heir.

"My own protection was foremost—"

"From what? Byakuya, it doesn't make sense. And you aren't leaving my sight until I know you agree with me." His eyes widened, suddenly and unreasonably wary, fear forcing him to the middle of the flower coated field as he checked every angle for the woman hundreds of years his senior.

"Stop this, Yoruichi. Whatever you plan on doing, you will not succeed." He stood up from his hunched position, although not daring to make another move or sound so as to detect her movements. But Yoruichi's laughter easily cut through the silence.

"But you see, Byakuya-bo, everything I planalways succeeds…" She appeared behind him from her hiding place, sending an eerie shiver down the younger's spine. His shunpo was too slow to escape her grasp as she grabbed his wrists and threw him to the ground. He cried out as she pounced, straddling his waist to keep him in place as he struggled to break free. She pulled out a chocolate bar, stripped it of its wrapper with her teeth in one swift movement, and grabbed for Byakuya throat as he tried to in vain to pry her loose, increasingly motivated by disbelief and terror. A triumphant grin traced her lips.

"Kuchiki Byakuya, you lose!"

There was a short gasp as the chocolate bar muffled his scream. He kicked and squirmed beneath her, as hands desperately grabbed for hers in a misguided attempt to ease the gagging.

"Eat it, Byakuya. I'm not letting go until you do." Despite the choking, the struggling, and the panic, he managed a startlingly defiant glare which only made Yoruichi that much more pleased. _No, _he thought, besides every sense telling him to do otherwise. _I will not eat it! And if you think I will submit to you… _

"It's not that hard, you know. All you have to do is chew." And Byakuya was finding his ability to fight back attenuate. Something wasn't right. An abnormal sensation washed over him, coercing his muscles to relax, slowing his movements, numbing his mind into a simple hypnotic state of bliss. From deep within he felt a powerful longing to indulge the new saccharine desire. His tongue ran over his lips…and then a flash of newly arisen panic streaked across his features and Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, looking on with potent curiosity. Byakuya's struggling returned at once and with a vengeance, tripling in force and driven by such paramount fear that Yoruichi began to worry herself and finally decided to let him go.

He quickly jumped away when she did so, panting, swallowing, and massaging his throat. Yet as soon as he swallowed he regretted it, as the sweet flavor provoked an exceptional bout of shivers.

Yoruichi folded her arms and raised a brow, clearly amused at the entire spectacle. "What's wrong? That wasn't an eye flutter I just saw, was it?"

Byakuya glared, livid.

"You…! Do you realize the gravity of what you've just done? If Kisuke was right—"

Oh God. It all hit him like a ton of lead. And much too quickly at that. Byakuya staggered, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Byakuya—"

"_No!_" Byakuya couldn't think; his mind was working in overdrive and was too busy imagining centuries upon centuries in a spirit powerless body.

Yoruichi couldn't exactly fathom what sort of repercussions she would receive from this slight mishap, but she was sure there would be few. Kisuke had been right about one thing, though, and through only sheer observation of subtle behavior: every male Kuchiki had a chocolate addiction. Every single one, and it was their greatest weakness. And if Byakuya's grandfather really wanted to help the poor kid so the inevitable problem wouldn't worsen later, he was going to have to let him get tortured—and Kisuke was the only guy who would do it semi-humanely and keep the secret a secret all at once.

And so step one: exposure hadn't been too bad, if not a little bit sadistic on her part (winning in anycompetition with Byakuya always provided her some type of gratification, though), but she couldn't ignore the guilt, either. It was all for the best, she'd told herself. The man had to do his research or the problem would persist—but first he had to find out why the problem was even there. So Byakuya was made the guinea pig in the name of good will. Hopefully he wouldn't lose his sanity when it was all over.

Well, it was about time to go, anyway. The kid certainly wasn't in the mood to talk, frozen in place and dangerously pale, and wouldn't be until he realized how much Kisuke (and everyone who'd been telling him to avoid chocolate since birth) had played him for a fool. Then he'd shed blood just to find out why. So, then. Until the bloodshed. Yoruichi picked up what was left of the chocolate bar, registering but not initially reacting to Byakuya's fervent glare. Instead, she dusted herself off, threw him a genuine smile from over her shoulder, and was gone, leaving the boy in a confusing heap of fear, disgust, surprise, and denied longing as he wandered slowly back to the estate.

* * *

An hour later Byakuya nearly tripped into his bedroom, locking the door with a trembling hand and backing against the nearest wall for support. All the while he was silent besides a few labored gasps. After Yoruichi had left he had been able to think, if only a bit more rationally. The anger had dissipated and the remaining energy focused into a small kidou spell that confirmed his reiatsu hadn't gone anywhere. Yet, although relieved and shaken, the boy could not eradicate the memory of chocolate from his conscious. Even then he was unceremoniously licking his lips, the taste stubbornly resettling itself into his senses. He tensed, wistfully desiring another bite only to be disgusted with himself seconds later. The chocolate that the woman so brusquely shoved into his mouth had proved to be a godsend for his taste buds, and the more he tried to stifle the thought, the more he found himself in longing.

Anxious and torn, the boy wandered into the kitchen against his rationale. The amount of trouble he felt he could walk into at any moment only hastened his footsteps, as he was eager to accomplish the goal he refused to admit he had. The main kitchen was abnormally empty, and its cabinets held every spice he could think of and—Byakuya tried to push the thought away—possibly other delicacies he _couldn't_ think of. Until now.

Finding a streak of willpower, he forced himself forward until he reached the counter, and even then could not but stare at the cabinets overhead without a spark of worry. He reached out for a knob and hesitated, finding himself biting his lip in a final display of self-restraint. He pulled back and his stomach growled. He stared the cabinet down and felt his heartbeat grow faster. His fingers twitched; he reached out, withdrew, reached out again and trembled as desire and self-control battled on the forts of his tongue and his mind. If he could just open the door—

"Byakuya-sama?"

His fingers were nanometers from the knob but Byakuya whirled, as shaken and terrified as a wounded animal. A young, timid woman stood in the doorway of the main kitchen, wary of entering further after her master's reaction.

"I-I'm sorry, Byakuya-sama. I did not mean to be a disturbance," she commented hastily, bowing. "I'll leave you to—"

"Wait."

And she did, seeming almost afraid to look back at him. Byakuya spat a million silent curses at himself. He couldn't, he simply couldn't allow himself to be carried away by…by a food! A simple, sweet little dessert at that. Tantalizing as it was—and oh, how it was—he had to reign himself in. But his subconscious had other plans.

"Where is the chocolate kept in this kitchen?" Misako flinched before meeting Byakuya's gaze, and the boy realized he'd struck a chord. Suddenly he didn't want to know, but he couldn't form the words in his mouth to say so.

"Kuchiki Ginrei-sama is," she cleared her throat, "allergic, just as you are, so the cooks do not house it here but order it for gatherings."

Byakuya sighed, torn between disappointment and relief. "Of course, Misako-san. Do be aware that I was inquiring on Shihouin Yoruichi's behalf, however." As good a cover up as any, and Misako was just gullible enough that it worked.

She exclaimed a small 'oh' and apologized, blushing, and Byakuya excused her after. It was only ten minutes of aimless wander later that he found himself back in his bedroom, windows shut and door locked.

And that's when the hellfire began.

Byakuya collapsed to his knees, holding himself as his body began shaking. Dilated eyes darted about the room as if searching for something that was nowhere to be found. Acute pains erupted in his stomach, and Byakuya moaned, but not just in agony. He licked his lips, gulped, and supported himself with trembling arms just so he wouldn't fall face first to the floor. Then it hit him, the asphyxiating, muscle tensing grip on his body that not only forced the air from his lungs but made him forget how to breathe. Every sense screeched for chocolate, and the only image in the boy's mind was of Yoruichi's laughing smile hovering above as she ripped off the candy wrapper.

Then seconds passed and he was free again, breathing in labored gasps and scared for his life. And it was all Yoruichi's fault.

He wanted blood.

* * *

A week had passed, and Byakuya was more than grateful that Yoruichi hadn't paid him any visits. As covertly irate as he was, he knew he wouldn't be able to bear her satisfaction from watching him drool. And despite all attempts to achieve the opposite, the addiction was now full blown and tormenting. He hadn't a bite of the stuff, but Fate seemed to be toying with him, as chocolate managed to find him every time he stepped out of the house. He was surely not so acutely aware of the number of bakeries in the Soul Society before his addiction decided to make itself known. But when the sweet aroma wafted under his nose and the boy began salivating, his only comfort was picturing the woman begging him for mercy for exposing him to this _horror._

There was also the lesser problem of figuring out why Kisuke had lied to him. Too worried about finding Yoruichi and not being mentally prepared had caused him to avoid the second division, but had this been a mere joke between captain and third seat? Or had he simply a theory proven wrong? There were a few possibilities, but one thing was for sure: Byakuya surely wished there were no other foods he was 'allergic' to so as to produce such distress with their reactions.

It was one in the afternoon when Byakuya returned from his morning training for lunch. The trainer had complained his movements had become sluggish and disjointed, and Byakuya knew it. He was simply too tense, worried Yoruichi would make a sudden appearance or that he would be taken hold by one those choking attacks, of which he had already had a few, although there was not much he could do about it them. As he walked back into the estate, a familiar aroma greeted him, stopping the boy short.

_Oh no. Oh _please_ no…_

Not that any amount of begging would tell him otherwise when already he felt a trail of saliva down his chin. Annoyed, he wiped it away and charged toward the kitchen. A part of him briefly considered hiding in his room, but the thought of enduring another choking attack changed his mind. There were voices coming from the kitchen, but they were too muffled to discern. Byakuya wanted to wait and reconsider. No matter who was in there, he'd have a difficult time controlling himself. But he had to know why there was, so suddenly, a rather open presence of chocolate in the estate. It was all at once too horrible and too good to be true. He pushed open the door.

"…then you squeeze the chocolate syrup on like this. Don't forget to make sure the chocolate chips are firmly in place. You don't want them to—Byakuya-bo! What a pleasant surprise!"

His stomach accordioned itself and the boy felt fear catch in his throat like a large hairball. "Yoruichi_._"

"Good afternoon, Byakuya-sama," added Misako, bowing cordially.

Byakuya didn't answer. He couldn't. It was too sudden. He should have been worried. Terrified. Irate. But he just stood there, using all his might not to look at the hand-sized brownies right next to the oven. Yoruichi, bored by the silence, thus felt it fitting to offer him one.

"Double stuffed vanilla mint chocolate chip," she said matter-of-factly. "I hope you won't find them too hard to resist." Byakuya sent her a look that wasn't nearly as callous as it should have been, which Yoruichi took note of with a smirk.

Nevertheless, the boy attempted to uphold some dignity. "I'd rather not, thank you. My feelings on those atrocious things have changed little."

"Even after learning chocolate doesn't, in fact, destroy reiatsu?"

"I have _your _third seat to blame for that!" Byakuya suddenly snapped. He calmed quickly, but knew in that instant that the battle was lost. It was time to retreat.

"For which I do graciously apologize," Yoruichi continued, shifting her gaze to her brownies. "Kisuke can be quite zealous with his theories sometimes."

"Neither his theories nor your mockery is improving the situation."

"Which would be?"

Byakuya turned his back on the purple haired woman and cast an austere but faulting gaze in Misako's direction. The simple need for chocolate was swallowing up what gave his anger any edge. And there was almost no working quickly around Yoruichi's all too knowing smile.

"I believe you told me that chocolate was only ordered for special gatherings, Misako. Ojii-sama and I are allergic. Please do remove it."

The woman hesitated, glancing at Yoruichi, and muttered something incomprehensible to Byakuya's ears. "_Misako_," Byakuya repeated in warning, and, to his chagrin, it was Yoruichi who replied.

"It just so happens that there _will _be an important event here, and soon. You're not under any obligation to attend, however." She ambled across the room to another oven, in front of which she put on mitts. "Of course, I'm sure your taste buds would choose otherwise."

Distracted as a fresh batch of brownies was removed from the oven, Byakuya was at that point only indignant enough to throw the woman a pout. Yet even that was ruined as the young heir began to salivate, his eyes tracing the pan's movements across the room. Misako, however, was all the more disturbed.

"Yoruichi-sama," she began, voice quivering. "Are you suggesting that he has already…?" Her voice trailed off, scared to name what she already guessed was true. Yoruichi, at first, said nothing, busying herself with the brownies she had just removed. When she finally chose to look up two minutes later, Byakuya had, predictably, already left.

"Ginrei already knows," she started suddenly, turning to face the servant girl. "Kisuke thinks he's developed a way to, at least temporarily, cure this…thing all the Kuchiki seem to have when it comes to chocolate, and it's been agreed Byakuya has to be the guinea pig."

"I don't understand," Misako started. "If something goes wrong…he _is _the next heir…"

"I don't know too much myself. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I can't help but feel a bit worried for Byakuya, though."

"Byakuya-sama doesn't seem to be adjusting to this new predicament all that well. I think this is going to be too much for him."

"Maybe," Yoruichi replied, taking off her oven mitts, "but I trust Kisuke enough to stop the experiment before things get too overwhelming for the little guy." Suddenly, she cast her gaze on Misako, peculiarly energetic. "What if we spy on him, just for the day, so we can get a better idea of how the chocolate is really affecting him?"

"Yoruichi-san—"

"You don't have to do anything as long as you stay out of the area between the kitchen and his room. I'll wait near his room and wait for him to come out. If he does, I'll slip in, hide in his closet, and show myself just when the time is right." She smiled to herself at the thought. He would never be able to live down being caught devouring the stuff like a raging maniac. If her third seat was right, though, that's exactly what he would be up to. A voice in her head told her that maybe she was going too far, having too much fun with the situation. But Yoruichi conveniently ignored her better judgment. Which Misako felt no qualms voicing.

"I don't believe we should do this…"

"Oh it'll be fine! Trust me. If Byakuya wants the chocolate badly enough, he'll come by to see if he can steal a piece. All we have to do is observe as nature takes its course."

* * *

Back in his room, Byakuya shivered, his eyes darting about in a wild manner. He'd stood under the influence of those brownies for too long, and now the consequences were coming with a vengeance. Dizzy, the boy tried to lift himself from the floor and onto the bed, but hunger pains jerked his movements and he fell back to the floor. That's when he remembered he still had yet to eat lunch, and he groaned to himself. It meant another venture to the kitchen, as there was no way he was going to risk letting a servant see him in this state. Of course, if he was already experiencing shivers and elevated hunger pains, the attack that would come later…The boy shook his head. The pain to come would be excruciating and unfair, but at least brief if he could manage to feed himself.

But how he hated the thought of withstanding the scent and sight of those brownies! He gulped and lay his head back. There wouldn't be a choice but to make a break for it. He'd no idea how long it would take to grab a salty snack from the kitchen without being distracted by the sugar, but it had to be done. Byakuya forced himself to stand, noting the wobbliness of his knees as he listened for voices outside his room. The usual quiet met his ears, so he cracked the door open just a tad before checking up and down the hall for signs of life and slinking out.

Alone in the hallway, Byakuya felt exposed, and so increased the pace of his step until he was jogging to the kitchen. By the time he reached it, he was out of breath. It unnerved him that he was so weak after so many training sessions, but a quick glance to one of the kitchen's counters reminded him otherwise. While he was ecstatic that no one had been in the room to observe his panting on arrival, the enormous brownies had been left behind to harden. His resolve was only strong enough to cut his gaze from the sweets, but not enough to ignore it entirely. When his hands grabbed the door handle of the refrigerator, Byakuya turned around despite his every instinct.

The brownies sat innocently enough on three large, uncovered pans on a counter now at the far side of the room. _They would be too heavy and too much to carry all at once,_ he rationalized, turning his back on them. _But…_

But there was no denying to himself at that moment how badly he wanted to taste chocolate again, especially after what Yoruichi had done. The feeling of absolute bliss that he'd gotten from it couldn't be replicated from eating anything else, or training, or even imagining himself winning one of Yoruichi's many games. It was such a hypnotic, overpowering sensation, a delicious indulgence, and a sickness with adverse side effects all at once.

As he stared at them, a sort of transcendent yearning recreated the symptoms of a choking attack. The dizziness, the hunger, the muscle soreness. Allergic, indeed. He could almost feel his logic slip from his mind.

And then, from outside the room, an upbeat, feminine voice chatted amiably with a low, rough one.

Kuchiki Ginrei.

Byakuya's heart stopped. He nearly choked, realizing he was now faced with a fight or flight decision. The chocolate beckoned him, but he bit his lip in desperate refrain. He couldn't give in now, he couldn't! But his grandfather's voice grew louder, closer, and Byakuya's hunger moaned to him, calling for him to fill himself with anything. _Anything._

A hard gulp, and he lunged for a pan of brownies and exited the room from another door seconds before his grandfather and Misako entered to kitchen. Her eyes quickly shifted to the pans, of which she saw one was missing and the others were slightly displaced.

_Yoruichi-sama was right after all…_

* * *

The change in venue from the kitchen to his bedroom was all a blur to Byakuya. His back against the wall, Byakuya sat down and placed the pan on the floor beside him. After a few deep breathes, he gulped and anxiously unclenched his hands. His hunger was singing a tune he knew all too well, and before he could register what he was doing, he jammed an entire brownie in his mouth.

Almost immediately his eyes rolled back and his fingers twitched about in excitement. He hadn't even swallowed half of the first when he wildly grabbed for a second and began to force it down his throat as well. And even then, he was thinking of a third. Appetitive lust welled up in his chest and surged to his limbs as increasing bouts of satisfaction forced him to keep eating. The Kuchiki heir found himself trying to gulp down brownies faster than he could think. How he had managed to ignore it for a week he could not understand. Eyes fluttering, he bit into a seventh brownie—and froze.

For the first time in his frenzy he noticed a disturbingly familiar reiatsu, a second presence in the room with him. It completely overrode his urge to ignore it and take another bite. No, he knew whose reiatsu this was, knew and grew faint with embarrassment as he turned reluctantly to the frame of his closet door.

Meeting Yoruichi's knowing gaze with his own made him sick with mortification, not just from the fact that she had seen everything, but that she had hid in his closet, anticipating it would happen and wanting to be there specifically to watch. He looked away, reddening madly.

"It seems our dear Byakuya-bo is a common liar _and _a thief," she began, trying and failing to suppress a smirk as she leaned against the closet door, arms folded. It was a bad sign that his addiction was already so far gone, but the woman simply couldn't bring herself to worry. She would likely never see the expression on the boy's face again, and she had to admit, she found it quite comical. Byakuya couldn't even bring himself to reply.

"And to think, all this time you wanted me to believe that you _abhorred_ the stuff. So…how much laughter should I spare you? Perhaps an explanation would do? I suppose I could hold this priceless information back from your grandfather—"

"_Get…out…_" Such a callous tone for such a young boy. The Pandora's Box of his rage was creaking open, just as she had expected it to. It never did take him too long to recuperate, but he still couldn't meet her gaze. Time to pry a little more.

"—though eventually I'll just blackmail you with it anyway." A vivacious laugh. "Don't be upset, Byakuya-bo. Masking your embarrassment with anger won't make it go away."

"_OUT!_" he bellowed in a short drone. This time he did look at her, and Yoruichi couldn't hold back another snort. There was chocolate all over his face, his hands, and his clothes, so much that he resembled an infant who was more comfortable playing with his food than eating it. She said as much and laughed again. But when she opened her eyes again, a katana was pointed at her neck.

"You will speak of this to no one! Not a _soul!_"

She didn't even flinch. "You wouldn't do that. You would never do that. Especially if you wanted to know how to suppress this addiction of yours." There it was. So she did know something. Sending her a cautious look, he growled and removed the katana from her throat.

"Speak, Yoruichi. _Now._"

She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Hey, now! All in good time. Do exactly as I say, and maybe you'll learn why you're even addicted in the first place." His only response was a grunt in disapproval as she pated his head and calmly made her way to the exit of the room, picking up the tray with only three brownies left. He scrutinized her movements as she did so.

"Oh, one last thing."

"_What?_" The boy's skill in speaking through clenched teeth was astounding.

"If you want my methods to work, you've got to refrain from chocolate for the next week."

The blood drained from his face faster than water off a duck's back. He cast a hesitant glance at the pan in her hands and gulped_._

"A…week?"

"Yes. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Though she knew there was, given the apparent intensity of his addiction. In fact, he only needed to wait three days, but why not play around a bit? The circumstances could always be changed if need be.

Fortunately for Byakuya's pride, the anger had only been momentarily disabled and returned in full force. "Nothing is wrong with the terms save the fact that it's _you_ who are making them."

She laughed at the reply. "I'm sure. So long as when you go into withdrawal you avoid so much as approaching the kitchen. It just so happens that Misako will be baking all week for a certain occasion. I can't have you drugging yourself on the sight alone in an impulsive attempt to maintain your sanity. Well, good luck!"

As she finally flash stepped from the doorway, the heir plopped on his bed, staring in pure awe. Not only had she identified the last hope of a chocolate fix he'd been creating for the last week, but banned it as well.

All of it was simply…gone.

Eyes twitched.

Lips trembled.

Fingers fidgeted.

Sanity cracked.

"_YORUICHI!"_

* * *

When the second division captain was directed to Byakuya's room two days later, she found him sprawled out on the floor in his sleepwear, wheezing and desperate.

"He's been like this for an hour, refusing everything, even practice, until you were brought here," Misako explained, looking at the nearly unconscious boy the entire time. "Yoruichi-sama, I don't think—"

"Misako, if you could give us a moment?" The woman gave Yoruichi a confused look. Yoruichi only smiled back. The maid, now a bit frightened, decided not to take her chances and left as requested. When the door closed behind her, Yoruichi cast an indifferent stare in Byakuya's direction. She kneeled down and poked the boy, who was lying face down.

"Oi," she called, giving him another poke. "You wanted to see me, right? What's wrong with you?"

Almost immediately, Byakuya sat up, doing so so quickly that Yoruichi fell back, thrown off balance. He hovered over her, eyes abnormally wide, and croaked, "You haven't any idea how these past forty eight hours have been for me. I can't sleep, I can't think, I can't even breathe without thinking about chocolate! I haven't even been able to leave my room! It's horrible!" He bit his nails. "If you even hint at the idea of me having to wait any longer without it, I might just…" His gaze flickered between the door and the window of his room and back to Yoruichi, "…do something I'll regret."

Yoruichi, still sitting on her bum and staring in awe, gave the young heir an awkward smile. _He's lost it…he's completely lost it! _

He then tucked his knees into his chest and began rocking back and forth and humming to himself. Yoruichi gulped.

"W-Well, good thing you called for me!" she covered, getting up from the floor and dusting herself off. "It turns out you won't have to wait anymore!"

At the words, Byakuya's hypnotized expression broke into one of elation, the corners of his mouth rising in tandem with his eyelids. Yoruichi stifled back a shiver. Never in her life had she seen the boy so happy…and it was creepy.

"Really?"

"Um, yes," she replied. "Get yourself ready. I'll be waiting outside for you."

The Kuchiki heir was up and running well before she had given the boy a hesitant nod. She took advantage of the fact and stepped out of the room, only to be greeted by the worrying Misako.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"No, nothing's wrong…exactly," Yoruichi stalled, anxiously glancing at the door to Byakuya's room. "Things are progressing more quickly than Kisuke guessed, is all. You should alert Ginrei, though. He ought to know."

Misako stared at the floor, tightly clasping her hands together. "Whatever your third seat is trying to do…do you think it will work?"

Yoruichi shrugged, which did nothing to assuage the maid's worries. "I have a lot of faith in the man, and Ginrei must as well, to trust him with something like this. I trust him enough to not do anything completely outrageous, but this is Kisuke. I'm fully aware of all of his quirks and eccentricities, and how they could make things go…well, I don't want to say very wrong…" Her voice trailed off, and she let the meaning of the sentence go with a light smile and a scratch at the back of her head. "We'll just have to wait and see, I guess."

"'Wait and see'?"

At that moment, Byakuya burst out of the room, clothed and twitchy. "I'm ready. Can we go now? _Please?_" The boy's eyes were glazed over. Misako stared back, apprehensive, but Yoruichi grabbed the heir's wrist and dragged him down the hall, preventing the woman from dropping another observation saturated with worry.

"I'll be back soon!" the captain called down the hall, leaving the maid alone with her anxiety.

* * *

One thing Yoruichi did not want to do was walk all the way from the Kuchiki estate to Kisuke's make shift lab in the second division. But Byakuya clung to her waist, dragging himself along and moaning with every step he took.

"I can smell it," he droned, apathetic to the wary gazes he was receiving as the couple slugged through the streets. "Oh, I can smell it. It smells so _good_…"

The purple haired woman observed him like one would an abnormally large insect, then attempted to pry him from around her waist. Instead he hung on tighter, drool dripping from his mouth onto her _haori_ at an ever increasing pace.

"Byakuya, listen," she began, attempting to hide her look of disgust, although frankly, Byakuya was paying little attention. "I'm bringing you to Kisuke—"

"Does he have chocolate?" the boy asked, suddenly perking up. His eyes were wide like a kid on Christmas, and Yoruichi, incredulous to his juvenile behavior, gulped and nodded slowly.

"Sure…sure he does! And if you shunpo to his lab—"

The boy disappeared in half the blink of an eye. Yoruichi sighed, though even she did not know whether it was out of relief or worry of what was to come. If Kisuke didn't have anything special up his sleeve, Byakuya was going to go off like a ticking time bomb.

When Yoruichi reached the second division five minutes later, Byakuya was already there, on a fervent search for wherever his promised chocolate was hidden. She briefly covered her face with her hands, exasperated, and began to approach him when Kisuke called out to them from the door to the lab as he shut and locked it. Byakuya bounded toward the man before Yoruichi could even open her mouth in reply.

"You have it, don't you?"

Kisuke blinked, confused until the young heir grabbed the man's clothing and shook him, shouting, "The chocolate, the chocolate! Where is it?"

"Byakuya!" Yoruichi snapped, rushing over and quite nearly ripping the boy away. "Get off of him! Have patience, will you?"

The boy stilled and folded his arms, though even as he stood in place his eyes roamed about and his fingers twitched. Yoruichi glanced up to a semi wide mouthed Kisuke who turned away, understanding the situation to be worse than he had initially expected. It had only been two days since the boy had been barred from eating chocolate; he should have still had a significant amount of self-restraint. Then again, Kisuke realized, the addiction had been growing progressively stronger with each generation of male heirs. An important problem to solve, indeed.

"What are you going to do with him?" Yoruichi whispered, eyeing the boy from her peripheral. "You still haven't told me, and everyone wants to know. I can't help but be a bit anxious, too, you know. Seeing that expression on his face…It makes me kind of _want_ to give him what he wants."

"And that's exactly what he's going to get."

The captain stared back, incredulous. "I don't understand," she said, eyeing the boy once more, who by now had his eyes only half open. "Isn't the point to get him off of chocolate?"

"Yes," Kisuke replied, "by making him like it too much." Yoruichi's expression grew more contorted with confusion, to which the man responded, "You'll see. Follow me."

* * *

Kisuke's house was an absolute mess.

Not that Yoruichi hadn't seen it that way before, but every time she did, it reaffirmed her reasoning behind the usefulness of her third's seat's mini laboratory. Papers were strewn about everywhere, half full cups of tea balanced precariously on table and counter edges, and clothes were thrown in a large pile next to a bookcase. Yoruichi caught Byakuya's wince, and could not decide whether to be grateful the boy hadn't completely lost it or worried about her third seat's ever-growing problem with organization. Kisuke glanced at them and flashed a sheepish smile.

"Please excuse the mess," he began, whimsically scratching the back of his head. "I'm still tidying things up."

And indeed he was. Stepping out of the first room and through it to the kitchen was like moving from a barnyard to a mansion's front garden. Particularly, Yoruichi dully noted, because she was more than sure it functioned as more of a makeshift lab when the man was home. Yet the kitchen was wiped clean from top to bottom without even a hint of a test tube in sight. Actual seasonings instead of strange, unidentifiable fluids sat neatly in the corner of one of the room's counters. But it was not the uncanny order of the room that maintained Yoruichi's attention.

It was the chocolate.

Cakes of various sizes, topped with sprinkles and a hefty array of icings filled the majority of the counter space, while in every other possible nook, candies, muffins, cookies, and brownies were crammed and condensed into the many drawers and open cabinets and shelves that filled the rest of the room. With the limited amount of space there was, Yoruichi was surprised there was space for it all.

And frozen to his spot in the doorway, Byakuya gulped.

Without a word of comment, Kisuke crossed the room and reached into the refrigerator for a small carton of chocolate milk, briefly and purposefully revealing its near overflowing contents to the others. Yoruichi spied the young heir, only to observe him waver dangerously, as if he were to collapse. It seemed all sense had gone out of the window, and Yoruichi was not too confident about where the rest of this was going. She whispered as much to Kisuke, observing hesitantly how Byakuya had seemed to have forgotten how to move. But the third seat only smiled back in reply.

"Byakuya," he called out, briefly snapping the boy out of his hypnotic trance. "I feel horribly about having you suffer from an incorrect theory, so I thought I'd make it up to you."

Byakuya looked from him to the chocolate and took a deep breath, having not realized his jaw had gone slack since he'd stepped into the room. His fingers twitched eagerly at his sides. Yet moments later he turned his back on the chocolate and left the room. Kisuke and Yoruichi followed, the latter rather stunned, before the boy answered.

"I…I perfectly accept your apology," he said in a low, quivering voice, "and I appreciate the rather luxurious gift you are offering, but…" He gulped again, tightening his fists. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. The apology is…well, m-more than enough."

Yoruichi gaped at him, but Kisuke smiled, responding before she could put in her two cents. "And after all I went through to get this for you!"

Byakuya began to turn around but stopped himself halfway through. "I—I would like to, but—"

"I went through a lot of trouble to get this. You wouldn't want to be rude by refusing it, would you? I wouldn't have anyone else to give it to, and I'm not too much of a fan of chocolate myself…"

At the word, Byakuya shivered and bit his lip. "…Well, I—"

"Besides, you like chocolate a lot, don't you?" Kisuke asked, lightly resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. Byakuya jumped and glanced up at him. "If you don't eat it, I'll have to throw it away."

"N-No!" he exclaimed, glancing away after noticing the volume of his voice. "Don't do that. It would…it would be quite a waste…"

"Well, I suppose it will be all for you, then." Byakuya cast the man a hesitant glance, watching cautiously as Kisuke headed off to another room. Silence hung like a thick fog for only a handful of seconds. Then Byakuya's eyes darted about faster than he could think after he sprinted into the kitchen, panting like a dog. There was only a moment's hesitation before he plunged a hand into the nearest cake, dug out a chunk half the size of his head, and eagerly stuffed his mouth with it, quietly moaning as crumbs fell to the floor. Yoruichi watched, horrified, as the boy hopped from one part of the kitchen to the next, dirtying his clothes at an exponential rate and devouring pastries at an equal pace. Her third seat waved her over from the next room, but she approached him slowly, cautious to remove her eyes from the test subject.

"I don't like this, Kisuke. If something goes wrong—"

"I have emergency procedures in place and multiple back up plans. In the worst case scenario, I'll have to terminate the experiment."

"And should Byakuya retain this powerful an addiction even _after_ your experiment?"

"Already handled. Just watch and observe, taichou."

* * *

Four days had since passed since Byakuya had taken up residence in the kitchen. Each was as uneventful as the last, the only surprise being the boy's incredibly unnatural consumption of chocolate. Impressed was Kisuke as well with the speed. Three-fourths of the contents of the kitchen—which was supposed to last the boy two weeks—had disappeared, and from the fifty or so bakers he had managed to collect pastries from, Kisuke simply couldn't believe it. Of course, that was all the more reason to remove the boy's addiction, but even the third seat was beginning to bite back the nagging doubt that sprouted at the back of his mind.

No matter what he tried, Kisuke could not get Byakuya to leave the kitchen save to use the bathroom. Twice he had to carry the boy to an extra bedroom upstairs—as he had fallen asleep on the cold kitchen floor—only to wake to find Byakuya already up and eating. Obsession, at that point, increasingly seemed an understatement.

Yet something had begun to change in Byakuya's pattern of behavior by the fifth day. When Kisuke went to observe him, expecting him to be in his usual position atop the kitchen counter, he was rather surprised to find him instead in the next room, still as messy and disorganized as it was when Byakuya arrived. He sat on the floor and rummaged through the stuff with mild interest.

Kisuke opted first to observe, worried saying something might cause Byakuya to revert back. But his curiosity was just deep enough to spark a conversation. It was a vital change, though subtle, and the man couldn't altogether help himself.

"Good morning, Byakuya," called the third seat. The boy did not acknowledge the voice. "What are you doing?"

Balancing a newspaper on his lap, a chocolate bar in one hand and glass of water in the other, Byakuya replied, "I'm bored."

Kisuke fought to suppress the tug of a smirk; Byakuya hadn't exactly answered his question. Kisuke paid it no mind. "You seem content to me."

Byakuya did not answer, keeping his gaze on the newspaper. There was a pause just long enough to make Kisuke feel uncomfortable. Assuming he wasn't heard, he opened his mouth to repeat the statement when Byakuya quickly interjected, "Is there something other to eat than chocolate?"

Kisuke's jaw hung slack. Why would he want anything else? The question was a curveball out of left field, but Byakuya stared him down in expectation of an immediate answer, and all Kisuke could do in reply was choke out a hesitant "no".

It seemed just as well for Byakuya. His only reaction to the question was a noncommittal sound from his throat and an apathetic lowering of his head back into the week old newspaper. Kisuke stared at him for a good long while, unsure of what to do, before quietly slinking away to record the conversation in his notes.

It was disheartening to find him hours later, rifling through the cabinets in an almost cursory manner.

"Byakuya?"

He was much too busy conducting his search. And in the brief pause between the closing of one drawer and the opening of another, Kisuke heard a faint stomach growl.

"Have you eaten anything today?"

The boy shook his head, abandoning the cabinets above the counter to the ones below. "Nothing except for a chocolate bar."

"Byakuya!" The exclamation was more directed towards Kisuke himself. How could a boy addicted to chocolate suddenly go almost entirely without it for a day? There was a piece of the puzzle he was missing, Kisuke felt.

At that moment, Byakuya's stomach grumbled again, and much louder this time. He gulped, shut his eyes, and tightened his wrists, but even he knew hunger would not be so easily whisked away.

Kisuke observed in silence.

When Urahara Kisuke checked on his housemate the following day, he was nowhere to be found. The last few wrappers and containers of packages of cookies and other treats were strewn all over the kitchen floor, but no Byakuya. At first not accepting the outcome he knew had transpired, Kisuke checked every corner of his abode. Nothing.

He had barely returned to his living room when a loud knocking rasped at the door. Yoruichi burst inside when he opened it, a bit out of breath and certainly anxious.

"Byakuya," she muttered between heavy breaths. "Is he here?"

Kisuke swallowed and shook his head as Yoruichi cursed. "Sometime between last night and this morning he must have left." He raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"

"Soifon," she began, catching her breath and sitting up, "was attacked." Kisuke's eyes widened. "She said it happened so fast she didn't realize what was going on. She was nibbling on a pastry and it was suddenly quite brusquely ripped from her hands. Two of her fingers are bleeding. And I can't think of anyone who would do something like that except—"

"Byakuya." Kisuke looked solemn and felt guilty. Perhaps he hadn't watched the boy as closely as he should have.

"We've got to close all the bakeries," said Yoruichi, "or maybe leave only one open so we can trap him there—"

"No. I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"Why not?"

"Because yesterday he asked me for something to eat besides chocolate."

Yoruichi stopped cold. "He…did?" After he had sneaked and begged and tolerated blackmail for it? It did not seem likely. And yet by Kisuke's resolute expression it was.

"My theory," said the third seat, stepping out of his house and closing the door behind him, "is that he was never so much addicted to the chocolate as he was the sensation eating it produced. A…flavorgasm, for lack of a better term."

Yoruichi eyed him briefly and smiled at the memory of the boy flustered and fidgeting from her grasp only a week before. "…I see."

"Eating chocolate provided that for him, but once he completely gorged himself on one source, he grew tired of it and now searches for another."

"So he'll continue to search until he finds what it is?"

"Yes. And unfortunately, he likely won't eat enough to sustain himself until he does."

Yoruichi frowned. "We haven't much time, then."

Kisuke shook his head. "No. But I have an idea."

* * *

Byakuya sat down in an alleyway in the Fourth division's sector of the Seireitei, starved. The last few ounces of chocolate had worked only to backfire against his need to fill himself, as within an hour he had vomited. It was simply too much.

He remembered longingly when mounds of chocolate were godsends that he tried to graciously deny. If only he hadn't accepted, had taken his time eating that delicacy…The thought of it, however, made him shiver with disgust. Even what he had eaten that morning made him gag; he had to force it down with his eyes shut and fists tight, he was so tired of it.

And now he was still hungry. Sitting around the corner from a street lined with restaurants and café's for the Fourth division when they took a lunch break was not helping. He gulped as familiar scents wafted by him, shivered at the thought of eating one of his favorite meals…His desire for food gripped him like a leech.

And yet he couldn't bear for others to see him like this. Yoruichi may have played a part in improving his shunpo (something for which he was grateful but would never admit out loud), but it would only be a slight cover. He couldn't hope to simply walk in somewhere and buy a meal. He didn't trust himself to last long enough among so many scents and flavors up close and personal. The only other option, then, was to steal it. And Byakuya was not fond of acting like a desperate street beggar.

His stomach, however, did not maintain anything akin to pride and saw no evil in encouraging him to snatch the muffin from Soifon's hands. Dangerous, dangerous move. He was sure Kisuke and Yoruichi at the _least_ were searching for him. Just another reason to stay discreet.

Unfortunately, shinigami did not do much eating-while-walking, and Byakuya realized he was going to have to move to find bait. Scowling, he slinked out of the alleyway when there was no one on the street. His stomach growled loudly. He groaned, the classic aroma of ramen noodles causing his mouth to water.

And after wandering for two blocks, losing his ability to think clearly as he did so, he saw it.

A woman wearing a white robe over her other garments. She was sitting at a café, a newspaper on the table next to a glass of water.

Byakuya smiled. Jackpot.

In her hands was something small and triangular. And she was biting into it.

* * *

Unohana Retsu had never taken a day off in her life.

She couldn't, she figured. She headed the infirmary. The one day she took off would be the one day the eleventh division decided to try and kill each other. Out of boredom. It wasn't entirely irrational, either. It had happened at least twice before.

And yet even she had to admit she felt overworked over the past two weeks. Hollows had found a feeding and breeding ground right on the outskirts of the divisional compound and shinigami had been dispatched to dwindle the numbers. Successful, yet bloody. She hadn't slept much.

So her vice-captain had pretty much forced her to take a day off, and Retsu had accepted, although she would be peaking in throughout the day just to make sure. One could never be too careful.

She flipped a page of her newspaper and took another bite of her rice cake. A simple snack. Relaxing. And the area around her, quiet. She smiled to herself. Maybe she should do this more often.

The atmosphere briefly changed. She glanced up, wary of a hollow but knowing instinctively that any hollow she would have felt long ago, having to be significantly formidable to make it inside. Instead she saw Kuchiki Byakuya, watching her from behind a nearby building. She smiled in his direction and received no response at first. Then slowly he began to make his way toward her.

When he was within earshot, she called to him, wishing him good morning, but there was no reply. Unohana then chastised him directly, noting to herself that the boy had to have some kind of manners if raised within the house of Kuchiki.

It was not until he was mere feet away that she noticed the abnormal glaze about his eyes, the consistently listless walk, the limpness of his limbs. Keeping her eyes trained on him, she stood up from her chair, intent of staying out of his way.

Then he lunged for her.

Retsu had not at all been prepared for an attack and was not carrying her zanpakutou (a fault of her vice-captain's persuasion, unfortunately), and was not the quickest when it came to reflexes. All she could do was press herself against the window pane of the café.

She watched, nervous and perplexed, as the heir of the Kuchiki family ate a rice cake from her _hand_.

"Byakuya?" She tilted her head to try and read his expression, but to no avail. What was wrong with him? Because something had to be wrong with him for such a blatant throw-away of the standard Kuchiki pride.

The boy did not respond, and Retsu was much too anxious to move her hand away. A finger might go next. Then again, if she kept her hand there her fingers might go regardless.

"Byakuya, if you're hungry, I could buy—"

She froze, a potent shiver traveling up and down her spine when the Kuchiki heir slowly licked her hand.

Flinching and petrified, she eyed Byakuya, hesitant, but he seemed not to notice the peculiarity of his own actions. Then without another moment's hesitation, she snatched her hand away, gracing him with the most disdainful of looks. He glared at her then, angry. The only thing that broke the silence was the loud growl of his stomach and Yoruichi's shouts from a distance. In an instant their gazes disconnected and he ran off. Unohana watched him, still confused and more than a tad worried. She was still looking in the teen's direction when Yoruichi caught up with her.

"Are you alright? Sorry about that; Byakuya…isn't himself today…"

"It's quite alright," replied Unohana, distant. "It was just…well, unexpected."

"I'm sure."

Unohana lowered her eyes. "I'm guessing Kisuke's experiment was a failure, then?"

Yoruichi sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. And now we have to catch Byakuya before he attacks half of the Seireitei."

"May I be of any assistance?"

Yoruichi gave her a grateful look. "Not with catching him, anyway. Although if you would be willing to run a few tests on his vitals once we do…"

Unohana nodded. "Certainly."

Yoruichi gave her a smile of thanks and flash stepped away. Unohana watched her go in silence before caressing her hand, still damp with Byakuya's saliva.

* * *

Two hours later, Byakuya stood doubled over a trash can, Unohana standing by, indifferent, as Kisuke and Yoruichi cringed subtly with disgust.

"Don't ever," Byakuya muttered between heavy breaths, "show me that stuff again."

Yoruichi and her third seat exchanged looks.

Unohana motioned for the two of them to step out of the room with her. "Every time chocolate has been present in the room with him, _this_ has been his reaction."

"But it seems so…backwards," Yoruichi responded, hesitant as she eyed the door of Byakuya's hospital room. She promptly turned her head away when the gagging noises resumed.

"Yes," said Kisuke, "but not unlikely."

Yoruichi folded her arms. "I suppose…"

"You seem worried, taichou."

"I am. This is not how I expected this experiment to end, and Ginrei… well, I hope he won't be too disappointed."

"His addiction won't return," said Unohana, "at least not anytime soon. I've never seen a reaction shift like this before, so I have no way of knowing. But getting rid of the addiction is what you were hoping to accomplish, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes…"

Kisuke smiled. "Then it should be fine. Byakuya won't be eating chocolate again for a long while, that seems certain. With enough time, he'll forget he even liked it."

* * *

"And that," said Yoruichi, a triumphant smirk on her face, "is what happened. Until Unohana started baking cookies, that is." She chuckled. "It seems the addiction never left him after all."

For the first time in many years, Byakuya was red with embarrassment, Ichigo showering him with howls of incessant laughter. Of course, Byakuya had expected the laughter. But Yoruichi's detail was infuriating. The fact that she even knew as much as she did—

"Something wrong, Byakuya-bo?" came her voice through his thoughts. Only his eyes moved; the rest of him remained perfectly still, an effort (in vain, it seemed) to mask both the embarrassment and the anger leaking into his reiatsu.

"I believe it is your turn to hold up your side of the bargain."

She smirked knowingly, mocking him with her eyes. "Yes, I know. I'll be right back." She disappeared inside his estate. Meanwhile, Ichigo recovered from his hysterical fit.

"Is all of that really true? Did you actually—"

"Questions, Kurosaki Ichigo," the captain interrupted, "were not part of the bargain."

"Don't be such a spoiled sport, Byakuya," said Ichigo, now through his usual scowl. Byakuya did not reply, choosing instead to shamelessly fiddle with his hands. It no longer mattered whether or not he chose to hid his addi…_strong penchant_ for chocolate, not with a story like that behind him. And besides, it had been days and worlds of stress now behind him since he last swallowed a delicious piece…He gulped.

Ichigo snickered. Byakuya frowned.

"You really are addicted! Yoruichi wasn't exaggerating! Then again, if you were willing to kiss Yachiru—"

"_Quiet," _he muttered. Yes. Kuchiki Byakuya, captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei Thirteen, 48th head of the Kuchiki Clan, had a fondness (and increasingly powerful weakness) for chocolate, and now that those most likely to use this against him in the most dangerous of ways were incarcerated, he felt just a teensy bit safer to proclaim it. The concept of addiction, however…

He thought of Hinamori's cookies again and shivered. Accursed things.

The patio door nearest the two men slid open.

It was not Yoruichi who stepped out.

"Byakushi!" the little vice-captain exclaimed, waving at him with a brown and gold box in her hands. A familiar box. The box Yoruichi had taken from him an hour before.

His chocolate.

"Have you tried this candy before?" she asked, looking at the box herself. "It's better than that caramel stuff! I'd let you try it, but," she popped a small square in her mouth, "this is the last piece!"

Silence. Byakuya stared at her, a feeling of déjà vu washing over him. Ichigo glanced hesitantly between the two as Yachiru chewed happily, completely oblivious to what she was instigating.

Except Ichigo wasn't expecting the sudden surge of anger that crept into the captain's reiatsu. He stared at him, uneasy, and Yachiru followed suit, as only one word quietly escaped his lips.

"_Yoruichi._"

From the roof, sounds of boisterous laughter could be heard. She caught his glare and smiled sweetly. "Guess I didn't hide it too well, did I?"

From Byakuya, an eye twitch. One she hadn't seen in decades.

"Once again, Kuchiki Byakuya, you lose!" And in a flash she was gone, Byakuya chasing without a moment's hesitation, Yachiru following with unparalleled eagerness, and Ichigo behind them all, not wanting to miss the action.

* * *

**End of final chapter.**

A/N: And so concludes Hinamori's Cookies! *applause*

Thank you for all the favorites, alerts, and reviews. Thank you especially for sticking through my lousy update schedule and story edits.

~Twi


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